definitions

king's evil

noun

scrofula: so called because it was supposed to be curable by the touch of the reigning sovereign.

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Nearby words

king's color, king's counsel, king's crown, king's english, king's evidence, king's evil, king's highway, king's lynn, king's mark, king's men, king's pattern

Origin of king's evil

1350–1400; Middle English kynges evel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for king's evil

king's evil

noun

the king's evil pathol a former name for scrofula

Word Origin for king's evil

C14: from the belief that the king's touch would heal scrofula
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012