whitlow
/ˈʍɪt.loʊ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.90 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Inflammation and/or infection in the cuticle and/or the nailbed of a fingernail or toenail.
name
A surname.
name
A locality in the Gwydir council area, north eastern New South Wales, Australia.
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonyms: paronychia (in the cuticle), onychia (in the nailbed)"
- "'Twas a bad leg allowed me to read the Pilgrim's Progress, and Mark Clark learnt All-Fours in a whitlow."
Etymology
From Late Middle English, an alteration of whitflaw, with the first element deriving either from Middle Dutch vijt or Low German fit (“abscess”), borrowed from Latin fīcus (“fig-shaped (ulcer)”), though also influenced by white. The Latin loan also existed in other languages, such as Old English fic (“hemorrhoids”). See flaw.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈʍɪt.loʊ/