English Explanatory Dictionary

lepra

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Synonym of leprosy.
  2. Synonym of psoriasis.
  3. Any layer of algae, lichens, or other substance producing a leprosylike appearance on the surfaces of plants.

Pronunciation

/ˈlɛprə/

Word forms

lepra

Etymology

From Latin lepra (“psoriasis & similar skin diseases”), from Koine Greek λέπρα (lépra, “psoriasis & similar skin diseases”), from λεπρός (leprós, “scaly”), from either λεπίς (lepís, “scale”) or λέπος (lépos, “husk, scale”) + -ρος (-ros, suffix forming adjectives). The shift of sense from psoriasis to Hansen's disease occurred in large part from the use of λέπρα (lépra) to translate Hebrew צרעת (“tzaraath”) in the Septuagint and its subsequent use in the New Testament and Late Latin.

Synonyms

leprosy psoriasis

Derived words

lepra Arabica lepra bacillus lepra cell lepra colony lepra Graeca lepraphobia lepra reaction
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