Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

malaria

/məˈlɛəɹi.ə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.65 in modern English

Syllables: malar-ia
IPA: /məˈlɛəɹi.ə/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

4

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A disease spread by mosquito, in which a protozoan, Plasmodium, multiplies in blood every few days.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Supposed poisonous air arising from marshy districts, once thought to cause fever.

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The doctor had his hands full, as the air was so impregnated with malaria that men who had only landed some twenty-four hours were laid low with this extraordinarily violent type of fever."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian malaria, formed from mal- (“bad”) and aria (“air”). Introduced into English by the Scottish geologist John MacCulloch (1773–1835). Displaced native Old English unlyft (literally “bad air”).

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: malaria

Usage

Inflected Forms

malarias (plural)

Derived Forms

antimalaria antimalarial malarial malariametric malarigenous malarin malarioid malariologist malariology malarious nonmalaria

Phrases

airport malaria falciparum malaria knowlesi malaria malaria mosquito malaria net metal malaria vivax malaria

Synonyms

ague paludism miasma

Rhymes With

area bulgaria hysteria bavaria feria beria santeria renteria echeverria honoraria santería peria

Questions

How do you pronounce malaria?: The recorded pronunciation is /məˈlɛəɹi.ə/.
What does malaria mean?: A disease spread by mosquito, in which a protozoan, Plasmodium, multiplies in blood every few days.
Where does malaria come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce malaria

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “malaria”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/məˈlɛəɹi.ə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “malaria”.
Repeat and practice — Say “malaria” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.