The story
Latin diminutive of scrōfa (“a breeding sow”), because swine were supposed to be subject to the complaint; or by fanciful comparison of the glandular swellings to little pigs.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: Any affliction of the skin dependent on scrofula. Full definition →
Latin diminutive of scrōfa (“a breeding sow”), because swine were supposed to be subject to the complaint; or by fanciful comparison of the glandular swellings to little pigs.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.