Shingles Definition
shĭnggəlz
noun
An acute viral infection characterized by inflammation of the sensory ganglia of certain spinal or cranial nerves and the eruption of vesicles along the affected nerve path. It usually strikes only one side of the body and is often accompanied by severe neuralgia.
American Heritage Medicine
Webster's New World
Plural form of shingle.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
- herpes-zoster
- zoster
- felt base shingles
- shakes
- asbestos shingles
Origin of Shingles
-
Middle English alteration (influenced by Old French cengles) (pl. of cengle shingles) (and by Old French sengle, single, chingle belt) of Medieval Latin cingulus (translation of Greek zōstēr girdle, shingles, from the fact that the inflammation often extends around the middle of the body) variant of Latin cingulum girdle from cingere to gird kenk- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
From Latin cingulus, variant of cingulum (“girdle"), translating Ancient Greek ζώνη (zōnÄ“), ζωστήρ (zōstÄ“r).
From Wiktionary
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