Dictionary entry

Erysipelas

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Er′y‐sip″e‐las (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ερυσἴπελασ; ερυθρὄσ red + πέλλα hide, skin. See Red, and Pell, n.] (Med.) St. Anthony's fire; a febrile disease accompanied with a diffused inflammation of the skin, which, starting usually from a single point, spreads gradually over its surface. It is usually regarded as contagious, and often occurs epidemically.