the.com/mumps
The virus that turns your jawline into a backup chin overnight.
means A contagious viral infection causing painful swelling of the salivary glands, especially around the jaw and cheeks.
from First recorded in the 1600s, likely from the old verb 'mump,' meaning to grimace, sulk, or mumble with the lips drawn in — the kind of face you'd pull with swollen, aching cheeks. It's possibly related to 'mumbling,' since the swelling made clear speech difficult. The disease name simply borrowed the face that went with it.
- swelling site
- inflames the parotid salivary glands, near the ears
- vaccine era
- MMR shot made it rare since the 1960s
- risky complication
- can cause painful swelling in testicles, adults especially
- outbreak irony
- still hits crowded colleges and close-contact sports teams