Carate

/ˈkærət/ noun

Definition

A tropical skin disease characterized by discolored patches, caused by a fungal or parasitic infection, also known as carate or pinta.

Etymology

From Spanish 'carate' or Portuguese, possibly derived from indigenous American medical terminology for a condition common in tropical regions, related to Portuguese 'caraterá.'

Kelly Says

Carate is one of those 'tropical diseases' that colonial physicians didn't fully understand until modern mycology—the name stuck from local populations who'd managed it for centuries before Europeans arrived.

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