noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A contagious bacterial skin disease forming pustules and yellow crusty sores, chiefly on the face and hands. It is common in children and infection is often through cuts or insect bites. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   a very contagious infection of the skin; common in children; localized redness develops into small blisters that gradually crust and erode wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

acneacne vulgarisdermamycosisdermatitisdermatosiseczema

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin impetīgō, from impetĕre (literally “to rush upon, assail, attack”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.