chilblain

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Pronunciation

• IPA: /tʃɪlbleɪn/

Noun

chilblain (plural chilblains)

1. An itchy purple red inflammation of the skin, especially of the hands, feet and ears, occurring when capillaries below the skin are damaged by exposure to cold weather.

   Synonyms: erythema pernio, pernio

   • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1st edition, chapter VII, page 105

     Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the severe cold: we had no boots, the snow got into our shoes and melted there; our ungloved hands became numbed and covered with chilblains, as were our feet […]

     Mrs. Goddard’s school was in high repute—and very deservedly; for Highbury was reckoned a particularly healthy spot: she had an ample house and garden, gave the children plenty of wholesome food, let them run about a great deal in the summer, and in winter dressed their chilblains with her own hands. Jane Austen, Emma, Vol. I, Ch. 3 (1815).

Translations

• French: engelure
• German: Frostbeule
• Italian: gelone
• Portuguese: frieira
• Russian: обмороже́ние
• Spanish: sabañón, friera

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