calenture

From Middle French calenture, from Spanish calentura.

calenture (plural calentures)

1. A heat stroke or fever, often suffered in the tropics.
   • 1638, Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels, I:

     To returne: in changing so many parallels, the weather increast from warme to raging hot, the Sunne flaming all day, insomuch that Calentures begun to vexe us.

   • 1719: Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     Yet even in this voyage I had my misfortunes too; particularly that I was continually sick, being thrown into a violent calenture by the excessive heat of the climate.

2. A delirium occurring from such symptoms, in which a stricken sailor pictures the sea as grassy meadows and wishes to dive overboard into them.

• crenulate