Plural of ague; repeated fits of fever and chills, especially those caused by malaria or other infectious diseases.
From Old French 'ague' derived from Latin 'acuta' (sharp, acute), referring to the acute fevers and chills. The term was especially common in medieval and Renaissance medicine.
Colonial Americans were terrified of 'agues'—they didn't know about mosquitoes spreading malaria, so fevers seemed like mysterious punishments, which is why so many early settlers died in swampy areas.
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