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whitlow

[ hwit-loh, wit- ]
/ ˈʰwɪt loʊ, ˈwɪt- /
|

noun

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

Nearby words

whitish, whitlam, whitleather, whitley bay, whitley council, whitlow, whitlow grass, whitlowwort, whitman, whitman, marcus, whitman, walt
See also felon2.

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

British Dictionary definitions for whitlow

whitlow

/ (ˈwɪtləʊ) /

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

whitlow

n.

"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."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for whitlow

whitlow

[ wĭt′lō′ ]

n.

felon
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.