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king's evil

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noun
scrofula: so called because it was supposed to be curable by the touch of the reigning sovereign.
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Origin of king's evil

1350–1400; Middle English kynges evel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use king's evil in a sentence

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
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