whitlow

[ hwit-loh, wit- ]

/ ˈʰwɪt loʊ, ˈwɪt- /

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noun

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

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Origin of whitlow

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

Words nearby whitlow

whitish, Whitlam, whitleather, Whitley Bay, Whitley Council, whitlow, whitlow grass, whitlowwort, Whitman, Whitman, Walt, Whitmonday

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whitlow in a sentence

“They should only give these to responsible people,” said one of the students, David Whitlow.
What if the Founding Fathers Saw Newtown?|Michael Daly|December 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For some days Ninnis had been enduring the throbbing pain of a whitlow and had not been having sufficient sleep.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Panaritium, pan-a-rish′i-um, n. suppurative inflammation in a finger—same as whitlow.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
To cure a whitlow, put the finger affected a quarter of an hour every day into a Cats ear.
The Book of Cats|Charles H. Ross

By this time Whitlow had picked himself up and was brushing his garments.
The Moving Picture Girls in War Plays|Laura Lee Hope
Insertion in hot water will also cure that troublesome and very painful ailment, the whitlow.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale

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