Word of the Day — Sunday, March 15, 2026
rash
Definitions
nounan eruption on the body
nouna large number of instances in a short period
“a rash of complaints”
adjectivemarked by or proceeding from undue haste or lack of deliberation or caution
“a rash promise”
adjectivequickly effective
adverbin a rash manner
nounskin irritation of the diaper-covered area of an infant especially from exposure to feces and urinary ammonia
nounprickly heat
nounhives
nounmild to severe skin abrasion resulting from a fall (as from a bicycle or motorcycle) which usually involves sliding on a hard rough surface
nounsore red spots that sometimes form on the area of a baby's skin that a diaper covers
Examples
- “a rash of complaints”
- “a rash promise”
Etymology
probably borrowed from 17th-century French rache, rasche, going back to Middle French raiche "tinea," noun derivative of racher "to chisel, groove (metal)" (probably also "to scrape, scratch," senses attested in Romance cognates), going back to Vulgar Latin *rāsicāre, verb derivative from Latin rās-, participial and nominal stem of rādere "to scrape, scratch, shave"