From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
rabies
n 1: an acute viral disease of the nervous system of warm-
blooded animals (usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid
animal); rabies is fatal if the virus reaches the brain
[syn: rabies, hydrophobia, lyssa, madness]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Rabies \Ra"bi*es\ (r[=a]"b[i^]*[=e]z), n. [L. See Rage, n.] Same as Hydrophobia (b); canine madness. [1913 Webster]