scrofula

• scrophula (obsolete spelling)

Borrowed from Latin scrōfulae, a diminutive form of scrōfa (“breeding sow”), because swine were supposed to be subject to the complaint; or by fanciful comparison of the glandular swellings to little pigs.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskɹɒfjʊlə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskɹɔfjələ/
• Hyphenation: scro‧fu‧la

scrofula (countable and uncountable, plural scrofulas or scrofulae or scrofulæ)

1. (pathology) A form of tuberculosis, most common in women 30-40 years of age, tending to cause enlarged and degenerated lymph nodes, especially in the neck, and often chronic, intractable skin inflammation as well.
   • 1970: R.H.C. Davis A History of Medieval Europe Longman: SBN 582482089. P298. "(In 1100) It (The Church) relied on the king (of France) for protection and in return gave him authority. It even ..gave support for the claim that by his royal touch, he could miraculously cure the scrofula. (A similar claim was made for the kings of England, and was exercised till the reign of Queen Anne; one of the last people to be cured in that way being Dr. Johnson.)

• adenopathy
• king's evil
• struma

• scrofulous
• scrofulide

• Websters International Dictionary, 1902

scrofula f (plural scrofule)

1. Alternative form of scrofola