scrofula
UK[ˈskrɒfjʊlə]US[ˈskrɒfjələ]
n
a historical disease, a form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes, especially in the neck.
Etymology
the word 'scrofula' entered english in the late medieval period from latin, where 'scrōfulae' was the plural form meaning 'swellings of the glands in the neck'. this latin term is a diminutive of 'scrōfa', meaning 'a breeding sow'. the semantic connection is thought to be either from the resemblance of the swollen glands to a sow's body or from an ancient folk belief that the disease could be cured by the touch of a sow. the latin 'scrōfa' itself traces back to the proto-indo-european root ker-, meaning 'to grow, nourish', which also gives rise to words related to growth and flesh, such as 'crescent' and 'creature'. thus, the term's journey reflects a blend of descriptive anatomy and cultural belief, evolving from a word for an animal to a specific medical diagnosis.
Analysis
the word is a loanword adopted as a whole unit; it is not productively segmented using modern english morphemes.
Examples
in the middle ages, scrofula was often called "the king's evil," based on the belief that a royal touch could cure it.
the physician identified the patient's neck swellings as a case of scrofula.
modern antibiotics have made scrofula a rare condition in the developed world.