Erysipelas
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 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. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 2 an acute streptococcal infection characterized by deep-red inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes wordnet
Example
More examples"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."
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”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.