vitiligo

American  

[vit-l-ahy-goh, -ee-goh] / ˌvɪt lˈaɪ goʊ, -ˈi goʊ /

noun

Pathology.

1. a skin disorder characterized by smooth, white patches on various parts of the body, caused by the loss of the natural pigment.

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vitiligo British  

/ ˌvɪtɪˈlaɪɡəʊ /

noun

1. another name for leucoderma

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Other Word Forms

• vitiliginous adjective
• vitiligoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of vitiligo

1650–60; < Latin vitilīgō form of skin eruption, apparently equivalent to *vitil ( is ) defective ( vit ( ium ) blemish + -ilis -ile ) + -īgō noun suffix

Example Sentences

"When AI creates fictional individuals with vitiligo and portrays them as authentic members of the community, this crosses into the territory of misinformation," said the British charity.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

It comes after the BBC flagged dozens of profiles showing AI-generated images of women with disabilities, including Down's syndrome or vitiligo.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

The Cay Skin founder, who is a spokesperson for the skin condition vitiligo, first connected with Kuzma in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

This strategy could also be adapted to treat other autoimmune skin diseases such as vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis, the researchers say.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

He explained they used it on victims of vitiligo, a disease that causes white spots to appear on the face and body.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin