Standard Lemma guide

impetigo

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.

  • UK: /ɪmpɪˈtaɪɡəʊ/
  • General-American: /ɪmpəˈtaɪɡoʊ/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪɡəʊ

1

noun

Meaning 1

A contagious bacterial skin disease forming pustules and yellow crusty sores, chiefly on the face and hands. It is common in children and infection is often through cuts or insect bites.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: school sores

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a very contagious infection of the skin; common in children; localized redness develops into small blisters that gradually crust and erode

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: skin disease, disease of the skin, skin disorder

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin impetīgō, from impetĕre (literally “to rush upon, assail, attack”).

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: impetigen — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Chinese Mandarin: 膿皰瘡 /脓疱疮 (nóngpàochuāng) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Chinese Mandarin: 膿痂疹 /脓痂疹 (nóngjiāzhěn) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Czech: impetigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Dutch: impetigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Faroese: rivja — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Finnish: märkärupi — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • French: impétigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • French: gourme — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Impetigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Eiterflechte — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Blasengrind — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Eitergrind — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Schleppe — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Schleppscheiße — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Schleppscheisse — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Schleppeiter — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • German: Schmierflechte — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Hungarian: ótvar — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Inupiaq: kiḷḷiġruaq — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Italian: impetigine — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Japanese: 膿痂疹 (nōkashin) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Latin: impetīgō — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Latin: inpetīgō — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Persian: بریون (barivan) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Pohnpeian: kilin kidi — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Polish: liszajec — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Portuguese: impetigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Russian: импети́го (impetígo) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Russian: парша́ (paršá) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Russian: стрептодерми́я (streptodermíja) — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Slovak: impetigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Spanish: impétigo — contagious bacterial skin disease
  • Vietnamese: chốc lở — contagious bacterial skin disease