Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Typhus \Ty"phus\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? smoke, cloud, stupor
   arising from fever; akin to ? to smoke, Skr. dh?pa smoke.]
   (Med.)
   A contagious continued fever lasting from two to three weeks,
   attended with great prostration and cerebral disorder, and
   marked by a copious eruption of red spots upon the body. Also
   called {jail fever}, {famine fever}, {putrid fever},
   {spottled fever}, etc. See {Jail fever}, under {Jail}.

Source : WordNet®

typhus
     n : rickettsial disease transmitted by body lice and
         characterized by skin rash and high fever [syn: {typhus
         fever}]