In rhetoric and poetry, a formula or saying that is frequently repeated, or in medicine, an eruptive disease or rash.
From Greek anthema (bloom/blossom), evolving to mean something that 'blossoms' or appears repeatedly in text, later used medically to describe skin eruptions that 'bloom' on the skin.
The word's dual meaning — repeated phrases in poetry and sudden skin rashes — both capture the idea of something appearing and reappearing, showing how ancient Greeks saw patterns in language and nature as connected.
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