adjective
leprous
LEP-rus/ˈleprəs/
Affected by or resembling leprosy.
The doctor examines the leprous skin for signs of nerve damage.
Etymology
Lepra names leprosy and is associated in Greek with scaly or rough skin. The adjective describes either being affected by the disease or resembling its effects.
In context
Now it was a faded, dreary old place, with a leprous, patched roof and shutters hanging askew.
More examples
- The biopsy confirms that the skin lesion is leprous.
- The old medical report describes several leprous patches.
- The novelist describes the peeling walls as leprous.
Forms
leprosy noun — A bacterial disease affecting skin and nerves.
Similar words
- diseased
- Means affected by any disease, not specifically by leprosy.
- infected
- Indicates infection generally, without identifying leprosy as its cause.