impetigo

American  

[im-pi-tahy-goh] / ˌɪm pɪˈtaɪ goʊ /

noun

Pathology.

1. a contagious skin disease, especially of children, usually caused by streptococcal bacteria, marked by a superficial pustular eruption, particularly on the face.

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impetigo British  

/ ˌɪmpɪˈtɪdʒɪnəs, ˌɪmpɪˈtaɪɡəʊ /

noun

1. a contagious bacterial skin disease characterized by the formation of pustules that develop into yellowish crusty sores

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impetigo Scientific  

/ ĭm′pĭ-tī′gō /

1. A contagious skin infection caused by staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria and seen most commonly in children. Impetigo is characterized by superficial pustules that rupture and form thick yellow crusts, usually on the face.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• impetiginous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of impetigo

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin impetīgō, equivalent to impet ( ere ) to make for, attack ( see impetus) + -īgō, as in vertīgō vertigo

Compare meaning

How does impetigo compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• impetigo vs. ringworm

Example Sentences

Contagious Impetigo, or porrigo, as it was formerly called, is a skin disease common among children, and it may affect adults.

From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin

Impetigo is also witnessed among grazing animals, regardless of age, and it especially attacks animals with white hair and skin.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry

Impetigo, im-pe-tī′go, n. a skin disease characterised by thickly-set clusters of pustules.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Impetigo is an inflammatory disease of the skin, characterized by the formation of distinct pustules, about the size of a pea or a bean, without itching.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry

Impetigo, a cutaneous eruption, generally in clusters, of yellow-scaled pustules, which grow thicker and larger; common among children ill fed and ill cared for.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin