whitlow
See also: Whitlow
English edit
Etymology edit
Late Middle English, alteration of whitflaw, the first element coming from either Middle Dutch vijt or Low German fit (“abscess”), borrowed from Latin fīcus (“fig-shaped (ulcer)”), though also influenced by white.[1] The Latin loan also existed in other languages, such as Old English fic (“hemorrhoids”). See flaw.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
whitlow (plural whitlows)
- An infection near or under the cuticle of a fingernail or toenail.
- Synonyms: felon, (Britain, dialectal, archaic) nimpingang, paronychia, (Britain, dialectal, misspelling) wicklow
- 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC:
- 'Twas a bad leg allowed me to read the Pilgrim's Progress, and Mark Clark learnt All-Fours in a whitlow.
Coordinate terms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
infection near or under the cuticle of a fingernail or toenail
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See also edit
References edit
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
Further reading edit
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “whitlow”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.