Medicine & BodyGreek → English
Dermatitis
/ˌdɜːrməˈtaɪtɪs/noun
Inflammation of the skin, with redness, itching and sometimes blistering.
The Greek roots
δέρμα
dérma
skin, hide
-ῖτις
-îtis
inflammation of
Literally: “skin inflammation”
The story of the word
δέρμα comes from δέρειν, to flay, so the Greek word for skin names what is done to a hide rather than what it does while alive. Dermatology and dermatitis both arrived in the 19th century as the specialty organised itself around the microscope. The same root gives taxidermy, the arranging of skin, and pachyderm, thick-skin.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → medical Latin → English
- First recorded
- 19th century
Same family
dermatologyepidermistaxidermypachyderm
In a sentence
The nickel in the watch strap gave him contact dermatitis.