Prickly heat

Prickly heat
Prickly Prick"ly, a. Full of sharp points or prickles; armed or covered with prickles; as, a prickly shrub. [1913 Webster]

{Prickly heat} (Med.), a noncontagious cutaneous eruption of red pimples, attended with intense itching and tingling of the parts affected. It is due to inflammation of the sweat glands, and is often brought on by overheating the skin in hot weather.

{Prickly pear} (Bot.), a name given to several plants of the cactaceous genus {Opuntia}, American plants consisting of fleshy, leafless, usually flattened, and often prickly joints inserted upon each other. The sessile flowers have many petals and numerous stamens. The edible fruit is a large pear-shaped berry containing many flattish seeds. The common species of the Northern Atlantic States is {Opuntia vulgaris}. In the South and West are many others, and in tropical America more than a hundred more. {Opuntia vulgaris}, {Opuntia Ficus-Indica}, and {Opuntia Tuna} are abundantly introduced in the Mediterranean region, and {Opuntia Dillenii} has become common in India.

{Prickly pole} (Bot.), a West Indian palm ({Bactris Plumierana}), the slender trunk of which bears many rings of long black prickles.

{Prickly withe} (Bot.), a West Indian cactaceous plant ({Cereus triangularis}) having prickly, slender, climbing, triangular stems.

{Prickly rat} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of South American burrowing rodents belonging to {Ctenomys} and allied genera. The hair is usually intermingled with sharp spines. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • prickly heat — n [U] a skin condition in which you get uncomfortable red spots on your skin. Prickly heat is caused by too much strong sun on your skin …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • prickly heat — noun uncount a skin condition in which you get very small red spots that you want to rub, caused by hot weather …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • prickly heat — ☆ prickly heat n. MILIARIA …   English World dictionary

  • prickly heat — prick·ly heat prik lē n a noncontagious cutaneous eruption of red pimples with intense itching and tingling caused by inflammation around the sweat ducts called also heat rash see MILIARIA * * * an itchy rash of small raised red spots. It occurs… …   Medical dictionary

  • prickly heat — N UNCOUNT Prickly heat is a condition caused by very hot weather, in which your skin becomes hot, uncomfortable, and covered with tiny bumps …   English dictionary

  • prickly heat — an itchy rash of small raised red spots. It occurs usually on the face, neck, back, chest, and thighs. Infants and obese people are susceptible to prickly heat, which is most common in hot moist weather. It is caused by blockage of the sweat… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • prickly heat — noun obstruction of the sweat ducts during high heat and humidity • Syn: ↑heat rash, ↑miliaria • Hypernyms: ↑rash, ↑roseola, ↑efflorescence, ↑skin rash …   Useful english dictionary

  • prickly heat — Pathol. a cutaneous eruption accompanied by a prickling and itching sensation, due to an inflammation of the sweat glands. Also called heat rash. [1730 40, Amer.] * * *       a noncontagious skin eruption of red pimples with intense itching and… …   Universalium

  • prickly heat — Synonyms and related words: acne, acne vulgaris, breaking out, dermamycosis, dermatitis, dermatosis, diaper rash, drug rash, eczema, efflorescence, elephantiasis, epithelioma, eruption, erysipelas, erythema, exanthem, heat rash, herpes, herpes… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • prickly heat — prick′ly heat′ n. pat a cutaneous eruption accompanied by a prickling and itching sensation, due to an inflammation of the sweat glands …   From formal English to slang

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