# measles

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmizəlz/ · frequency rank #18,887

## Definitions
1. An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.
2. Any disease causing red rashes.
3. Used as an intensifier.
4. Synonym of cysticercosis: A disease of livestock or meat caused by the presence of tapeworm larvae.
5. Any disease causing a tree's bark to become rough and irregular.
6. plural of measle: a red spot forming part of a rash, (now) particularly those caused by M. morbillivirus.
7. plural of measle: any similar-looking red spot, particularly (printing) foxing.
8. plural of measle: the individual cysts of cysticercosis.
9. plural of measle: the individual blisters in the surface of a diseased tree's bark.
10. A discreet assassination made to look like death from any natural cause.

## Etymology
Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). Doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low German masele & māsel. Influenced in pronunciation and some senses by mesel (“leprous, leper”).

## Easily confused with
- **measly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/measles-vs-measly)
- **measures** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/measles-vs-measures)
- **males** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/males-vs-measles)
- **masses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/masses-vs-measles)

## Common misspellings (10)
`emasles`, `maesles`, `mealses`, `measels`, `measless`, `measlles`, `measlse`, `meassles`, `mesales`, `mmeasles`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/measles