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Showing results for pruritus. Search instead for senile-pruritus.

pruritus

American  
[proo-rahy-tuhs] / prʊˈraɪ təs /

noun

Pathology.
  1. itching.


pruritus British  
/ prʊəˈraɪtəs /

noun

  1. any intense sensation of itching

  2. any of various conditions characterized by intense itching

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of pruritus

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin prūrītus an itching, equivalent to prūrī ( re ) to itch + -tus suffix of v. action


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.

See Examples For:

Linerixibat—which isn’t currently approved anywhere in the world—is a treatment for cholestatic pruritus, an internal itch caused by a liver disease called primary biliary cholangitis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

The study involved a total of 20 patients, half of whom had prurigo nodularis and half of whom had chronic pruritus of unknown origin.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2024

And people with pruritus ani, the technical term for itchy anus, are often cautioned to avoid toilet paper, leading them to bidets.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021

Earlier versions of this article, including the May 17, 2011 print edition of The Washington Post, incorrectly referred to aquagenic pruritus as aquagenic pruritis.

From Washington Post ● May 16, 2011

Carbolic acid is an efficient remedy for pruritus, while it is also a disinfectant.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

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