Meanings
- uncountableA rare neurovascular peripheral pain disorder in which blood vessels, usually in the lower extremities or hands, are episodically blocked, then become hyperemic and inflamed.
Brisky, who has short silver hair, now helps with Lydia’s care overnight, which is her worst time because her erythromelalgia flares prevent Lydia from getting up and handling some things herself, and standing and moving aggravates it.
2021, Eric Garcia, We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation, Boston: Mariner Books, →ISBN, page 120Synonyms: Mitchell's disease, acromelalgia, red neuralgia, erythermalgia
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA rare neurovascular peripheral pain disorder in which blood vessels, usually in the lower extremities or hands, are episodically blocked, then become hyperemic and inflamed.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐρυθρός“red”
- Englisherythromelalgia
Ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós, “red”) + μέλος (mélos, “limb”) + ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”); first used in 1878 by Silas Weir Mitchell to describe a syndrome of red congestion and burning pain in the hands and feet.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
erythromelalgia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erythromelalgia
“erythromelalgia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erythromelalgia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “erythromelalgia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erythromelalgia.
Source: erythromelalgia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.