king's evil
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of king's evil
1350–1400; Middle English kynges evel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A few days afterwards, he went to one William Maher, of Saltersbridge, in the parish of Lismore, who was grievously afflicted with the king's evil in his eyes, cheek, and throat.
From Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 3 by Mackay, Charles
He was the first of our princes that attempted to cure the king's evil by touching.
From The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. — Volume 10 Historical Writings by Swift, Jonathan
He was the first to let people touch him on Tuesdays and Fridays for scrofula, or "king's evil."
From Comic History of England by Nye, Bill
A picturesque incident in his childhood is that his mother took him to London to be "touched" by Queen Anne for the scrofula, or "king's evil," as it was called, from which he suffered.
From Dr. Johnson and His Circle by Bailey, John Cann
Either the woman may have been hired to play her part, and was not really a martyr to the king’s evil, or she may not be cured.
From Roger Willoughby A Story of the Times of Benbow by Webb, Archibald
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
