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scrofula

scro·fula

UK/ˈskɹɒfjʊlə/ US/ˈskɹɔfjələ/ uncommon

noun

1.

a form of tuberculosis characterized by swellings of the lymphatic glands

Origin

Borrowed from Latin scrōfulae, a diminutive form of scrōfa (“breeding sow”), because swine were supposed to be subject to the complaint; or by fanciful comparison of the glandular swellings to little pigs.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.