erysipelas

Definition

An acute, sometimes recurrent febrile disease caused by infection of a hemolytic streptococcus, associated with intense edematous local inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, and marked by large raised red patches on the skin.

Etymology

From Middle English erisipila, borrowed from Latin erysipelas, from Ancient Greek ἐρῠσῐ́πελᾰς (erŭsĭ́pelăs), probably related to ἐρῠθρός (erŭthrós, “red”) and πέλμᾰ (pélmă, “the sole of a foot”).

Example Sentences

• "The symptoms gradually improved until, on the fifth day from her delivery, I was pleased to find the erysipelas rapidly defervescing, the lochia natural, no subinvolution of the uterus, nor abdominal tenderness."

Related Words