noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɛ.ɹɪˈsɪp.ɪl.əs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˌɛɹ.əˈsɪp.əl.əs/
General-American:/ˌɛɹ.əˈsɪp.ləs/
General-American:/ˌɪɹ.əˈsɪp.əl.əs/
General-American:/ˌɪɹ.əˈsɪp.ləs/
1
noun
Meaning 1
An acute, sometimes recurrent febrile disease caused by infection of a hemolytic streptococcus, associated with intense edematous local inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, and marked by large raised red patches on the skin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
an acute streptococcal infection characterized by deep-red inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Saint Anthony's fire
History
Etymology
From Middle English erisipila, borrowed from Latin erysipelas, from Ancient Greek ἐρῠσῐ́πελᾰς (erŭsĭ́pelăs), probably related to ἐρῠθρός (erŭthrós, “red”) and πέλμᾰ (pélmă, “the sole of a foot”).
Across languages
Translations
54 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
կարմիր քամի
(karmir kʻami)
— acute febrile disease
Azerbaijani:
qızıl yel xəstəliyi
— acute febrile disease
