psoriasis

American  

[suh-rahy-uh-sis] / səˈraɪ ə sɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. a common chronic, inflammatory skin disease characterized by scaly patches.

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psoriasis British  

/ ˌsɔːrɪˈætɪk, səˈraɪəsɪs /

noun

1. a skin disease characterized by the formation of reddish spots and patches covered with silvery scales: tends to run in families

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psoriasis Scientific  

/ sə-rī′ə-sĭs /

1. A chronic, inflammatory skin disease in which recurring reddish patches, often covered with silvery scales, appear especially on the knees, elbow, scalp and trunk. Psoriasis is noncontagious and is inheritable.

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Other Word Forms

• psoriatic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of psoriasis

First recorded in 1675–85; from New Latin, from Greek psōríāsis, from psōriā- (variant stem of psōriân “to have the itch,” derivative of psṓra “itch”) + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Tremfya is approved in the U.S. to treat certain types of plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

J&J also received FDA approval last month for a new IL-23 inhibitor pill, Icotyde, for plaque psoriasis.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

The drug that Oruka’s code-named ORKA-001 blocks IL-23, one of our immune system’s attack dogs that mistakenly goes after a patient’s skin, in psoriasis.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The team found that immune cells themselves have their own glycocalyx and actively shed part of this sugar layer to move out of the blood and into inflamed skin in conditions such as psoriasis.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

She just kept combing his hair with her fingers, kissing it in the spots where it was irritated with the psoriasis he often had.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee