childbed fever: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare / HistoricalTechnical (Medical/Historical)
Quick answer
What does “childbed fever” mean?
A severe, often fatal, bacterial infection following childbirth, typically affecting the uterus.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A severe, often fatal, bacterial infection following childbirth, typically affecting the uterus.
A historical medical term for puerperal fever, a postpartum infection once a major cause of maternal mortality, now largely preventable with modern hygiene and antibiotics.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant regional differences in meaning or usage. The term is equally historical in both variants.
Connotations
Conveys a sense of historical dread and fatalism associated with childbirth before modern medicine.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary speech or writing outside historical texts or discussions.
Grammar
How to Use “childbed fever” in a Sentence
die of childbed fevercontract childbed feveran outbreak of childbed feverVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “childbed fever” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The childbed-fever mortality rate was terrifying.
- A childbed-fever case was recorded.
American English
- The childbed fever mortality rate was terrifying.
- A childbed fever case was recorded.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in historical or medical history papers discussing maternal mortality, 19th-century medicine, or the work of figures like Semmelweis.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Used as a historical synonym for puerperal sepsis in medical textbooks or articles on the history of obstetrics.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “childbed fever”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “childbed fever”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “childbed fever”
- Using it as a contemporary medical term (it is archaic).
- Confusing it with general postpartum fever or other non-septic conditions.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an archaic term. Modern medicine uses 'puerperal sepsis' or 'postpartum infection'.
Ignaz Semmelweis in the 1840s demonstrated that hand disinfection by doctors reduced its incidence, though his ideas were initially rejected.
Postpartum infections still occur, but they are far less common and far less fatal due to sterile techniques and antibiotics. The term 'childbed fever' itself is not used clinically.
They are synonyms. 'Childbed fever' is the older, more layperson's term, while 'puerperal fever' is the more formal medical term for the same condition.
A severe, often fatal, bacterial infection following childbirth, typically affecting the uterus.
Childbed fever is usually technical (medical/historical) in register.
Childbed fever: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtʃaɪld.bɛd ˌfiː.və/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtʃaɪld.bɛd ˌfiː.vɚ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the 'childbed' (old term for giving birth) and the 'fever' that tragically followed it before modern medicine.
Conceptual Metaphor
FEVER IS A PREDATOR / KILLER (Historical narratives often personify it as a shadow stalking the maternity ward).
Practice
Quiz
What is 'childbed fever' a historical term for?