Added 9 October 2026
whitlow
/ˈʍɪt.loʊ/ noun
Latin root: fīcus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about whitlow at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Inflammation and/or infection in the cuticle and/or the nailbed of a fingernail or toenail.
Origin
From Late Middle English, an alteration of whitflaw, with the first element deriving either from Middle Dutch vijt or Low German fit (“abscess”), borrowed from Latin fīcus (“fig-shaped (ulcer)”), though also influenced by white. The Latin loan also existed in other languages, such as Old English fic (“hemorrhoids”). See flaw.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)