whitlow

[hwit-loh, wit-]

noun

an inflammation of the deeper tissues of a finger or toe, especially of the terminal phalanx, usually producing suppuration.

Origin of whitlow

1350–1400; Middle English whit(f)lowe, whitflawe. See white, flaw¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whitlow

Historical Examples of whitlow

Paul, you land a couple of blows on Whitlow and then follow Alice.
The Moving Picture Girls in War Plays
Laura Lee Hope
A felon or Whitlow is a more extensive and a more serious condition.
The Eugenic Marriage, Volume IV. (of IV.)
Grant Hague
Mr. Whitlow rents a gin, but will own one of his own this year.
Tuskegee & Its People: Their Ideals and Achievements
Various
"I—I expect so," said Whitlow, clinging to his brief case with both hands.
Minor Detail
John Michael Sharkey
Whitlow half-expected him to remove his hat, but he did not.
Minor Detail
John Michael Sharkey

British Dictionary definitions for whitlow

whitlow

noun

any pussy inflammation of the end of a finger or toe

Word Origin for whitlow

C14: changed from whitflaw, from white + flaw 1

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 whitlow

"inflammation on a finger or toe," mid-15c., alteration of whitflaw (c.1400), from flaw, with first element possibly from Dutch vijt or Low German fit "abscess."

whitlow in Medicine

whitlow

[wĭt′lō′]

n.

felon