A skin disease characterized by inflammation and itching, particularly affecting areas of the body exposed to friction or moisture.
From Hindi चावी (chāvī), derived from Sanskrit roots relating to scratching or scraping sensations. The term entered English through colonial contact in India during the 19th century.
This word captures how English borrowed medical vocabulary from Indian languages—doctors in colonial India needed terms for tropical skin conditions their European colleagues had never encountered, so they adopted local words that already described them perfectly.
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