ringworm

English

Etymology

From Middle English ringworm (“ringworm; intestinal worm”), from Old English rengwyrm (“maw-worm, intestinal worm”), equivalent to ring +‎ worm.

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɹɪŋˌwɝm/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Noun

ringworm (usually uncountable, plural ringworms)

  1. A contagious fungal infection of the skin, characterized by ring-shaped discolored patches, covered by vesicles or scales.
    In superficial mycoses infection is localised to the skin, the hair, and the nails. An example is ringworm or tinea, an infection of the skin by a dermatophyte.
    • 1848 December, “Pacific Ocean: The Island of Bornabi”, in The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle, volume 17, number 12, page 647:
      Many of these natives, especially the lower classes, and fishermen, have their skins disfigured in a singular manner, by a sort of scurfy disease, similar to the ring-worm, or rather to a person whose skin was peeling off from the effects of the sun.

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See also

Dutch

Etymology

Compound of ring +‎ worm.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈrɪŋ.ʋɔrm/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: ring‧worm

Noun

ringworm m (plural ringwormen, no diminutive)

  1. annelid, worm of the phylum Annelida
  2. ringworm, infectious fungal disease
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