tinea

T1I1N1E1A1
/ˈtɪ.ni.ə//ˈtɪ.ni.ɚ/

noun

A fungal infection of the skin, known generally as ringworm.

Similar
dermatophytosisringworm
OriginLatin tinea →
UncommonScrabble 5
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Meanings

nountinea (countable and uncountable, plural tineas or tineae)

plural tineas · plural tineae

  1. countableuncountablemedicineA fungal infection of the skin, known generally as ringworm.

    Her knees were ingrained with dirt, her toes raw with tinea, her fingernails black and broken.

    1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 6

    Synonyms: dermatophytosis

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA fungal infection of the skin, known generally as ringworm.

Similar
dermatophytosis

More synonyms by meaning

nouninfections of the skin or nails caused by fungi and appearing as itching circular patches

Similar
ringworm
Broader
fungal infectionmycosis
Also see
ringworm

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latintinea“moth; bookworm”
  2. Englishtinea

From Latin tinea (“moth; bookworm”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

EitanantieTeianAitne
Cite this entry
APA

tinea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tinea

MLA

“tinea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tinea. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tinea,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tinea.

Source: tinea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.