What is "kissing disease"

kissing disease \kiss"ing dis*ease"\ Infectious mononucleosis; -- so called because often spread by kissing.

n. (context informal English) nickname for mononucleosis.

n. an acute disease characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes and an abnormal increase of mononuclear leucocytes or monocytes in the bloodstream; not highly contagious; some believe it can be transmitted by kissing [syn: infectious mononucleosis, mononucleosis, mono, glandular fever]