fever

Meaning of fever: Fever is a rise in body temperature above an individual's normal baseline, usually triggered by infection or another underlying inflammatory process.

Definition of fever

Fever is a temporary rise in body temperature above what is normal for a given individual, most often triggered by infection but also caused by inflammation, certain medications, and other underlying conditions. It results from the body's temperature control center in the brain resetting to a higher target level, rather than from an external source of heat.

Normal body temperature varies somewhat between individuals and fluctuates over the course of a day, generally running lower in the morning and higher in the evening. In clinical practice, an oral temperature at or above a commonly used threshold is generally used to define fever in adults, though the exact cutoff can vary somewhat by measurement method and clinical setting.

Fever itself is not a disease but a sign that the body is responding to an underlying process, and it is frequently accompanied by other symptoms, such as chills, sweating, or fatigue, that reflect the same physiological response.