English Reference

Word

eczema

US/ˈɛksəmə/

UK/ˈɛkzəmɐ/

Definition

n. a medical condition that causes your skin to become dry, red, and itchy.

n. a non-contagious inflammatory skin condition characterized by redness, itching, and the development of scaly or crusty patches.

Examples

“She uses a special cream to treat her eczema.”

“Stress and certain soaps can cause a sudden flare-up of his eczema.”

“While the exact cause remains unknown, researchers believe that eczema involves a combination of environmental triggers and a weakened skin barrier that allows moisture to escape.”

Examples

simple

“She uses a special cream to treat her eczema.”

contextual

“Stress and certain soaps can cause a sudden flare-up of his eczema.”

complex

“While the exact cause remains unknown, researchers believe that eczema involves a combination of environmental triggers and a weakened skin barrier that allows moisture to escape.”

Usage

Often used as an uncountable noun when referring to the condition generally, but can be countable when referring to specific types or instances.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin eczema, from Ancient Greek ἔκζεμᾰ (ékzemă, “cutaneous eruption”), from ἐκζέω (ekzéō, “to boil out, break out”) + -μᾰ (-mă, nominal suffix).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

Domains

BiologyMedicine

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
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English Reference