prickly heat

American

noun

Pathology.

a cutaneous eruption accompanied by a prickling and itching sensation, due to an inflammation of the sweat glands.

prickly heat British

noun

a nontechnical name for miliaria

"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

Etymology

Origin of prickly heat

An Americanism dating back to 1730–40

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.

In the Library of America’s “Didion: The 1960s & ’70s,” readers can feel the prickly heat, smell the approaching catastrophe.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2019

“I’m seeing a lot of heat cases, prickly heat, a lot of foot cases - athlete’s foot and borderline trench foot - and a lot of exhaustion,” he said.

From Washington Times • Sep. 23, 2018

The journey consists of a series of adventures in the broiling temperatures, culminating in a stifling encounter that could be the cinematic equivalent of prickly heat.

From Salon • May 29, 2017

Watching Jeb on the debate stage, I could feel the prickly heat bloom across his nape whenever Trump attacked.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2016

It was true that prickly heat was common during the rainy season.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023