erysipelas

American  

[er-uh-sip-uh-luhs, eer-uh-] / ˌɛr əˈsɪp ə ləs, ˌɪər ə- /

noun

1. Pathology.  an acute, febrile infectious disease, caused by a specific streptococcus, characterized by diffusely spreading deep-red inflammation of the skin or mucous membranes.

2. Also called swine erysipelas.  Veterinary Pathology.  a disease of swine, caused by the organism Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, characterized by urticaria, vegetative endocarditis, arthritis, and sometimes septicemia.

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erysipelas British  

/ ˌɛrɪˈsɪpɪləs, ˌɛrɪsɪˈpɛlətəs /

noun

1. Also called: Saint Anthony's fire.  an acute streptococcal infectious disease of the skin, characterized by fever, headache, vomiting, and purplish raised lesions, esp on the face

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Other Word Forms

• erysipelatous adjective
• pseudoerysipelatous adjective

Etymology

Origin of erysipelas

1350–1400; Middle English erisipila < Latin erysipelas < Greek, equivalent to erysi- (probably akin to erythrós red) + -pelas probably skin (akin to pélma sole of the foot; compare Latin pellis skin)

Example Sentences

In an interview with newspaper O Globo, Vice President Hamilton Mourão chalked up Bolsonaro’s absence to erysipelas, a skin infection on his legs that he said prevents the president from wearing pants.

From Washington Times

They deserve for us to marvel at how they were able to spell “cernuous,” “odylic” and “erysipelas,” while people in Hawaii were looking up how to spell “Hawaii.”

From Washington Post

The average viewer may have been stumped by any of the words the winners overcame in the final rounds, which included the likes of “pendeloque,” “erysipelas” and “aiguillette.”

From Washington Post

Seemingly unfazed by the stage lights and television cameras, one gifted adolescent after the next approached the microphone on Thursday night and without a hint of timidity correctly spelled daunting words like “erysipelas” and “aiguillette.”

From New York Times

There were quite a few tough medical terms in there too - including erysipelas, an infection that causes red rashes on the skin, and geeldikkop, a type of plant poisoning that can affect sheep.

From BBC