leprous

comparative more leprous · superlative most leprous

1. Of or relating to one of the diseases known as leprosy.

   1748, Philip Luckombe, A Tour Through Ireland, London: T. Lowndes & Son, 1783, Journey the Fourth, p. 324, […] a dissenting minister […] came to this well, over-run with leprous eruptions on the skin, which had rendered his joints so rigid, that he could neither hold his bridle, nor feed himself […]

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   Nor shall the art which you and I need be merely a purple robe woven by a slave and thrown over the whitened body of some leprous king to adorn or to conceal the sin of his luxury, but rather shall it be the noble and beautiful expression of a people’s noble and beautiful life.

   1882, Oscar Wilde, “The English Renaissance of Art”, in Essays and Lectures, 4th edition, London: Methuen & Co., published 1913

   ‘If they die,’ he said, ‘the cell shall be their tomb. They were put there to die, and be lost. The cell is leprous. Do you understand?’

   1880, Lew Wallace, Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Book Six, Chapter 1

   Synonyms: lepric, leproid, lazar, lazarlike

2. Infected with one of the diseases known as leprosy.

   And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 12:10

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   And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 4:6

   Synonyms: leprosed, leprosied

3. Similar to leprosy or its symptoms.

   Synonyms: lazarlike

4. Having the appearance of the skin of one infected with leprosy; flaking, peeling, scabby, scurfy.

   And why, except that it had moved everywhere with them and they regarded it as one of their possessions, had they kept the hatrack, its glass now leprous, most of its hooks broken, its woodwork ugly with painting-over?

   1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Vintage International, published 2001, Prologue

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   With little room to maneuver or park private cars, New Yorkers are more desperately dependent on taxis than any other city dwellers in the world. And the thousands of cabs that they ride are among the world's sleaziest: cigarette butts and paper coffee cups on the floor, dirty windows, leprous upholstery, chewed gum and sticky candy wrappers on ripped seats, and jagged metal protrusions on the doors waiting to savage the clothing of entering or departing passengers.

   1974 April 8, “Drab Cab Goes Fab”, in Time

5. archaicfigurativelyImmoral, or corrupted or tainted in some manner; also, ostracized, shunned.

   And ſpeckl'd Vanity / Will ſicken ſoon and die, / And leprous ſin will melt from earthly mould, […]

   1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, stanza XIV, page 7

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   My whole Life is so leprous, it infects All my Repentance: I wou’d buy your Pardon Though at the highest Set, even with my Life:

   c. 1608–1611, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Maid’s Tragedy”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i

6. historicalalchemyOf gold or other metals: contaminated with other substances; impure.
7. archaicbiologySynonym of leprose (“covered with thin scurfy scales, scaly-looking”).

   Synonyms: leprose

8. obsoleteCausing leprosy or a disease resembling it.

   Thy vncle came, with iuyce of Hebona, / In a viall, and through the porches of my eares / Did powre the leaprous diſtilment, whoſe effect / Hold ſuch an enmitie with blood of man, […]

   c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]