kissing disease
kissing disease — noun
1. a common, informal name for infectious mononucleosis — a viral illness that caus
a common, informal name for infectious mononucleosis — a viral illness that causes fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands, especially in teenagers and young adults. It got its name because the Epstein-Barr virus that causes it can be passed through saliva during close contact like kissing.
Arjun missed three weeks of school after coming down with the kissing disease.
colloquial term used in everyday speech
The college health centre reported six cases of the kissing disease this semester.
used with a quantifier (six cases of)
Lisa was surprised that a common illness was called the kissing disease.
Most young adults recover from the kissing disease within a few weeks.
- infectious mononucleosis
the formal medical term; used in clinical settings
- glandular fever
the common medical name in British English; covers the same illness
- mono
an informal American shortening of mononucleosis; very common among students
文法句型
the kissing disease
kissing disease (no article)
用法筆記
Always used with the definite article 'the' when referring to the illness ('the kissing disease'). Never used in formal medical writing — doctors use 'infectious mononucleosis' or 'glandular fever' instead.