urticaria

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The Word of the Day for January 11 is:

urticaria   \er-tuh-KAIR-ee-uh\   noun 
     : hives

Example sentence:
     After he told Betsy that the itchy, red welts on her arm were urticaria, 
the doctor noticed her scared look and quickly said "hives."

Did you know?
     Hives can be caused by a number of things. It can be a reaction to the 
piece of food you ate, the new medication you took, or irritants in the air you 
breathe, among other causes. Urticaria was named in the 18th century for its 
resemblance to the rash caused by nettle, a plant of the genus _Urtica_. That 
genus name reflects the Latin word for "nettle" and is also related to the 
Latin verb "urere," meaning "to burn." (It's easy to see the connection here if 
you know that many species of nettle have stinging hairs that irritate the 
skin.)





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