aphthous

9.9

Having small painful sores in the mouth

adjective
/ˈæfθəs/

Specialized

: aftoso

An aphthous ulcer that has formed on the uvula can also cause swelling and discomfort.
aphthous ulcer

Examples

Many children experience painful aphthous ulcers in their mouths during the winter months.
After the dentist said she might get aphthous ulcers, she remembered her mother suffered from them as well.
PHOTO (COLOR): Figure 2: Major aphthous ulcer

Academic text (2000)
On hospital day 2, a maculopapular rash erupted over the patient's trunk (Figure 1, panel A), several small aphthous ulcers appeared on her soft palate, and she had mild diarrhea.

Academic text (2014)
When he bit his cheek, he was worried it would develop into an aphthous ulcer.

Synonyms

aphthoid

vsaphthous

Archaic

9.9

Resembling a small sore inside the mouth

is used for conditions actually showing or caused by small mouth ulcers

Antonyms

healthy

695 1.0

In good body and mind condition without sickness or injury

Compounds

aphthous ulcer

Specialized

7.6

A small painful sore inside the mouth or on the lip, like a canker sore

How Painful

ulcerated

Specialized

7.9

aphthous

Specialized

9.9

unaffected

3 3.9

Surface Forms

aphthous positive

Morphology

aphthous = aphtha (semi-transparent) = aphth + ous

Formed regularly from the medical noun 'aphtha' with the adjectival suffix '-ous', but the root is specialist and unfamiliar to most learners, so the derivation is not fully transparent for general users.

Etymology

Aphthous comes from an old Greek word aphtha that meant 'ulcer' or 'mouth sore'. So aphthous describes things with small ulcers, especially the small painful sores you get inside the mouth.