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scabies

[ skey-beez, -bee-eez ]
/ ˈskeɪ biz, -biˌiz /
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noun (used with a singular verb) Pathology, Veterinary Pathology.

a contagious skin disease occurring especially in sheep and cattle and also in humans, caused by the itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the skin.Compare itch(def 10), mange.

RELATED WORDS

AIDS, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, eruption, eczema, psoriasis, scab, dermatitis, clap, HIV, STD, VD, chancroid, chlamydia, crabs

Nearby words

  1. scabbed,
  2. scabble,
  3. scabby,
  4. scabby mouth,
  5. scabicide,
  6. scabietic,
  7. scabious,
  8. scabland,
  9. scablands,
  10. scabrid

Origin of scabies

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin scabiēs roughness, the itch, derivative of scabere to scratch, scrape; cognate with shave
Related formssca·bi·et·ic [skey-bee-et-ik] /ˌskeɪ biˈɛt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scabies

British Dictionary definitions for scabies

scabies

/ (ˈskeɪbiːz, -bɪˌiːz) /

noun

a contagious skin infection caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, characterized by intense itching, inflammation, and the formation of vesicles and pustules
Derived Formsscabietic (ˌskeɪbɪˈɛtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for scabies

C15: from Latin: scurf, from scabere to scratch; see shave
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
Word Origin and History for scabies

scabies

n.

skin disease, "the itch," c.1400, from Latin scabies "mange, itch, roughness," from scabere "to scratch, scrape," from PIE root *(s)kep-, a base forming words meaning "to cut, scrape, hack" (cf. Gothic scaban, Old English sceafan "to scrape, shave;" Greek skaptein "to dig;" "Old Church Slavonic skobli "scraper;" Lithuanian skabus "sharp," skabeti "to cut;" Lettish skabrs "splintery, sharp"). Related: Scabious.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for scabies

scabies

[ skā′bēz ]

n.

A contagious skin disease caused by Sarcoptes scabiei and characterized by intense itching.
A similar disease in animals.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.