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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Whitlow

Whitlow \Whit"low\, n. [Prov. E. whickflaw, for quickflaw, i. e., a flaw or sore at the quick; cf. Icel. kvika the quick under the nail or under a horse's hoof. See Quick, a., and Flaw.]

  1. (Med.) An inflammation of the fingers or toes, generally of the last phalanx, terminating usually in suppuration. The inflammation may occupy any seat between the skin and the bone, but is usually applied to a felon or inflammation of the periosteal structures of the bone.

  2. (Far.) An inflammatory disease of the feet. It occurs round the hoof, where an acrid matter is collected.

    Whitlow grass (Bot.), name given to several inconspicuous herbs, which were thought to be a cure for the whitlow, as Saxifraga tridactylites, Draba verna, and several species of Paronychia.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
whitlow

"inflammation on a finger or toe," mid-15c., alteration of whitflaw (c.1400), from flaw, with first element possibly from Dutch vijt or Low German fit "abscess."

Wiktionary
whitlow

n. An infection under the cuticle of a fingernail or toenail.

WordNet
whitlow

n. a purulent infection at the end of a finger or toe in the area surrounding the nail [syn: felon]

Wikipedia
Whitlow

A whitlow or felon is an infection of the tip of the finger. Herpetic whitlow and melanotic whitlow are subtypes that are not synonymous with the term felon. A felon is an "extremely painful abscess on the palmar aspect of the fingertip". Whitlow usually refers to herpetic whitlow, though it can also refer to melanotic whitlow, which somewhat resembles acral lentiginous melanoma. The terms whitlow and felon are also sometimes misapplied to paronychia, which is an infection of the tissue at the side or base of the nail. Felon presents with a throbbing pain, clinically.

Whitlow (disambiguation)

A whitlow is a finger infection.

Whitlow may also refer to:

  • Whitlow, California
  • Whitlow (name), and persons with the name
Whitlow (name)

Whitlow is a surname and given name.

Usage examples of "whitlow".

Whitlow to go on functioning, even speechifying, in the chill oxygen dearth was by no means so obvious.

First Admiral Dardan reported in person to the prime minister regarding his meeting with Clarence Whitlow.

Whitlow, I don't know how you expect the Lazy Eight to gain the reputation of being a high-class dude ranch if you insist on paying your staff slave wages.

Whitlow, “that it should be put haway somewhere out of ‘arm’s way, if it’s hall the hsame to you.

Didn't Hepzibah Whitlow have the idea of the adjustable pendulum clock as a result of his work as the public hangman?

Of the slaves in the hold who didn't make it, he said, two were Whitlow pickaninnies name of.

I've got to put in an appearance for the Whitlows at a fund-raising dinner for the Santa Fe Opera.