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Definition of "erysipelas" [er•y•sip•e•las]

  • An acute disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by a species of hemolytic streptococcus and marked by localized inflammation and fever. Also called Saint Anthony's fire. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "erysipelas" in a sentence
  • "I got it just in time because that November I somehow managed to contract a bacteria called erysipelas, which decided that what it'd really like to do was live in my face."
  • "That horse died from swine erysipelas, which is a disease you get only in pigs. '"
  • "[37] I speak here of the true erysipelas, of course, and not of the chronic eruption of the face, &c., erroneously called erysipelas by many."