childbed fever

noun

Examples of childbed fever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Eleven days after Anne’s execution, Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour, who gave birth to a prince, the future Edward VI, before dying of childbed fever in October 1537. V.m. Braganza, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023 Once handwashing protocols were implemented in the Austrian hospital, the rates of women dying from childbed fever plummeted. Kelly Lambert, Scientific American, 4 Aug. 2020 Semmelweis got some things right, including his idea that something external caused childbed fever: the cause would turn out to be Streptococcus bacteria. Emily Sohn, Popular Mechanics, 2 Apr. 2020 Semmelweis noticed that deaths from childbed fever, also known as puerperal fever, were much less frequent in the ward supervised solely by midwives. Emily Sohn, Popular Mechanics, 2 Apr. 2020 No one could figure out why so many women and children were dying from puerperal fever—commonly known as childbed fever. Michael Harriot, The Root, 18 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of childbed fever was in 1701

Dictionary Entries Near childbed fever

Cite this Entry

“Childbed fever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/childbed%20fever. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

childbed fever

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on childbed fever

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!