measles

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmiːzəlz/ (UK); /ˈmizəlz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English maseles, plural of masel “spot, pustule”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} probably from Middle Dutch masel “blemish” or Middle Low German masele,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Proto-Germanic *mas- “spot, blemish”, which also gave Old High German masala “blood blister” and German Masern “measles”.^[3][4][5] The phonetic development is irregular:^[4] the later forms mesels and meseles, source of the modern spelling, were probably influenced by Middle English mēsel “leprous; a leper”,^[3][4][5][6] from Old French mesel, from Latin misellus “wretched”, a diminutive of miser.^[3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An infectious disease marked by an eruption of red spots on the skin (early 14th century; before 1325 in Barnhart, as maseles).^[4][3][5]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English the word also meant the pustules themselves.^[3] Its meaning was later extended to other eruptive diseases, such as German measles,^[2][7][8] and to a disease of pigs and cattle caused by tapeworm larvae.^[2][8][1] The adjective measly first described pork infected with measles in the late 16th century,^[6] and its sense “contemptibly small, mean” dates from the mid-19th century.^[6]

Timeline

• before 1325 – maseles, measles or pustules.^[3]
• before 1398 – mesels.^[3]
• about 1450 – meseles.^[3]
• late 16th century – measly, of infected pork.^[6]
• mid-19th century – measly, contemptibly small.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An acute, highly contagious viral disease, occurring mostly in children, marked by fever, catarrhal symptoms and an eruption of small red spots; rubeola.
2. Any of several similar but milder eruptive diseases, such as German measles.
3. A disease of pigs and cattle caused by tapeworm larvae.
4. A plant disease producing small spots on leaves or rough bark on trees.

Word family

• measly
• German measles
• black measles

Related words

• mazer
• miser
• miserable

Usage notes

The word is plural in form but usually takes a singular verb.^[7][8][1]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House