>>Good heavens, how can a disease be lukewarm??

but jackie, tepidemic is a direct quote from *your post -- you're going to have to pay more attention to what you're quoting! I've never seen 'luke' used alone (except as a name) -- it must be an obsolete form (but I'll look it up when I have the chance). come to think of it, the name itself isn't currently popular, is it?

p.s. - W3 says luke is archaic, but gives no hint as to why it was dropped in favor of lukewarm.