Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
FEVER
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fēfer, from Latin febris Date: before 12th century
1. a rise of body temperature above the normal, any of various diseases of which fever is a prominent symptom,
2. a state of heightened or intense emotion or activity, a contagious usually transient enthusiasm ; craze ,
II. verb (fevered; fevering)
Date: 1606
transitive verb to throw into a fever ; agitate , intransitive verb to contract or be in a fever ; become feverish