Chikungunya
/ˌtʃɪkʌnˈɡʊnjə/noun
A viral disease transmitted mainly by mosquitoes and characterized by fever and severe joint pain.
Did you know?The name comes from the Makonde description of sufferers becoming bent or contorted because of intense joint pain, not from a supernatural or astrological tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu period
Bantu
*ki-
“A reconstructed noun-class prefix used in many Bantu languages; it later appears in the disease name’s initial syllable.”
20th Century
Makonde
kungunyala
“To become contorted, bent, or twisted; the verb underlying the disease’s name.”
1952–1953
Makonde
chikungunya
“The thing that bends up or causes one to become bent; used during an epidemic in present-day Tanzania.”
1950s
Medical English
chikungunya
“The name adopted in English-language medical writing for the mosquito-borne viral disease.”
Modern English
English
chikungunya
“An infectious disease caused by chikungunya virus, especially associated with fever and debilitating joint pain.”
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