ringworm

[ ring-wurm ]

nounPathology.

any of a number of contagious skin diseases caused by certain parasitic fungi and characterized by the formation of ring-shaped eruptive patches.

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Origin of ringworm

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; ring¹ + worm

Words Nearby ringworm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ringworm in a sentence

In humans, fungi can cause infections like athlete’s foot and ringworm.
Scientists Say: Fungi | Maria Temming | September 19, 2022 | Science News For Students
The team got a clue from a 1960s research study about Trichophyton erinacei, a fungus that causes “hedgehog ringworm” in humans.
Drug-resistant bacteria evolved on hedgehogs long before the use of antibiotics | Carolyn Wilke | January 7, 2022 | Science News
How would you exclude ringworm in a suspected case of eczema?
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin | Henry Weightman Stelwagon
Describe the appearances of a typical patch of ringworm of the scalp.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin | Henry Weightman Stelwagon
Does ringworm of the scalp always present typical appearances?
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin | Henry Weightman Stelwagon

Describe the symptoms of ringworm as it occurs upon the scalp.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin | Henry Weightman Stelwagon
ringworm of the face, taken early, is helped by carefully painting with tincture of iodine.
The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadler

British Dictionary definitions for ringworm

ringworm

/ (ˈrɪŋˌwɜːm) /

noun

any of various fungal infections of the skin (esp the scalp) or nails, often appearing as itching circular patches: Also called: tinea

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

Scientific definitions for ringworm

ringworm

[ rĭng′wûrm′ ]

Any of a number of contagious fungal infections of the skin, hair, or nails caused chiefly by species of the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton, and Epidermophyton. Ringworm often causes scaly, itching ring-shaped patches, especially on the skin. Also called tinea

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