What's that strange word on my ancestors' death records? This handy dictionary can help.

Death records are an invaluable source of information about our ancestors and their cause of death. However, some of the terminology can be confusing.

The following dictionary is a brief overview of some of the more common causes of death you are likely to find on your ancestors death records.

Ague

A fever (such as from malaria) that is marked by paroxysms of chills, fever, and sweating recurring at regular intervals. Also a fit of shivering, a chill. Hence, ague can refer to both chills and fevers.

Pronounced 'A-(")gyü with the accent solidly on the "A." "Aigue" entered English usage in the 14th century, having crossed the channel from the Middle French "aguë". The word shares the same origin as "acute." It descends from the Latin "acutus" meaning "sharp or pointed". A "fievre aigue" in French was a sharp or pointed (or acute) fever.

Apoplexy

Apoplexy is a word from Late Middle English, through Late Latin from Greek apoplexia:

1. A sudden loss of sensation and movement due to a disturbance of blood supply to the brain; a stroke.

2. With specifying word: a hemorrhage or failure of blood supply in another organ or part. Now rare or obsolete.

Bilious Fever

A Bilious Fever is a fever caused by liver disorder.

Black Lung

Black Lung is a disease caused by breathing coal dust.

Bright's Disease

Bright's Disease is a mysterious disease that appears often on death records. Its an archaic name for kidney disease.

Chin Cough

Chincough (also kinkcough) is an archaic medical term for Whooping cough aka Pertussis.

Cholera

Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by a bacterial infection. In severe cases, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.

Cholera spreads via infected drinking water or food. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.

Consumption

Consumption is an archaic name for the disease tuberculosis, presumably because the disease would seem to consume patients from within as they coughed up blood.

Distemper

As used in old medicine: Disturbed condition of the body or mind; ill health, illness; a mental or physical disorder; a disease or ailment.

Dropsy

Dropsy, now known as edema, is a condition of excess watery fluid in the tissues or cavities of the body; also congestive heart failure from whatever cause.

Griped

With respect to the bowels: afflicted with spasmodic pain as if by contraction or constriction.

Influenza

Influenza, or the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death, especially in older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions.

If you are researching death records from around 1918 you'll encounter this cause of death often. During the period "The Great Flu Epedemic" struck around the world.

Intermittent Fever

An archaic medical term referring to illness marked by episodes of fever with return to completely normal temperature; usually malaria.

Measles

Measles is a term you'll encounter often on death records. It is also called Rubeola, a respiratory disease caused by a virus. The virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs. Symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Measles is especially prevalent where malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency are common. Measles is the leading cause of blindness among African children and kills almost 1 million children in the world each year.

Purgings

An archaic medical term for a violent evacuation of the bowels.

Quinsy

Pus-filled swelling in the soft palate around the tonsils, usually as a complication of tonsillitis.Sometimes also seen as squinacy, squinancy, or variant spelling quinsey.

Rubella

Rubella, also called German Measles, is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. It is a mild disease in children and young adults that causes a rash and fever for two to three days. It can cause birth defects if contracted early in a pregnancy.

Smallpox

Smallpox is a contagious and sometimes fatal infectious disease. There is no treatment, and the only prevention is vaccination.The name smallpox is derived from the Latin word for "spotted" and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person. The disease is now considered eradicated after a successful worldwide vaccination program.

Spotted Fever

An archaic medical term for Rickettsial fever; typhus.

Throat Distemper

Diphtheria

Tormina

Acute wringing pains in the abdomen; colic, gripes.

Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever is a tropical disease that is spread to humans by infected mosquitoes.

Does your ancestor's death records list a strange term you just can't figure out? E-mail me and I'll try and find the answer.