urticaria
|ur/ti/ca/ri/a|
🇺🇸
/ˌɝtɪˈkɛriə/
🇬🇧
/ˌɜːtɪˈkeəriə/
nettle-like skin eruption (hives)
Etymology
'urticaria' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'urticāria', where 'urtica' meant 'nettle'.
'urticaria' changed from the Latin word 'urticāria' (relating to nettles) through Medieval/Neo-Latin medical usage and was borrowed into English with the same form 'urticaria' to describe nettle-like skin eruptions.
Initially, it referred to a nettle-like sting or rash (i.e., reactions similar to being stung by nettles); over time it evolved into the modern medical sense of an allergic skin reaction producing hives.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a skin condition characterized by itchy, raised welts or hives caused by an allergic reaction or other triggers.
The patient was diagnosed with urticaria after developing itchy red welts on his arms.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a single wheal or hive (one of the individual raised, itchy bumps seen in urticaria).
Each itchy bump was a small urticaria that faded within 24 hours.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/12 20:36