hay-fe'ver

Auttunnal catarrh; an acute irritative inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and upper respiratory pa ages accompanied by itching and profuse watery secretion, followed later usually by bronchitis and asthma; the attack recurs annually at the same or nearly the same time of the year, late summer, and is thought to be due to irritation by the pollen of certain plants, but there is also a strong neurotic element in it.