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petechial

petechial

5 9.9
Having small red or purple spots from bleeding under the skin
  • adjective
  • /pəˈtiːkiəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : petequial
  • Doctors often look for petechial markings as a sign of trauma or infection.
  • petechial rash

Examples

  • A petechial or purpuric rash in a febrile patient is a medical emergency as there is a significant chance of invasive meningococcal disease.

    Academic text (2014)
  • There may be just one petechial spot.

    Academic text (2014)
  • "Like petechial hemorrhages in the sclera.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The classic triad of respiratory changes, neurological abnormalities, and petechial rash is the common clinical trait of this syndrome 88,89.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Dengue normally causes a mild febrile illness, but dengue hemorrhagic fever can occur, with headache, myalgia, a red rash that becomes petechial, and back pain.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The patient exhibited multiple petechial spots on his arms after the accident.

  • A nurse noted the presence of petechial hemorrhaging during the examination.

Synonyms

purple-spotted
vspetechial
3.4

Having purple spots on its surface

refers to small red or purple spots caused by bleeding under the skin

Antonyms

866 1.0

Free from things that block sight or movement

How Spotted

mottled
7 6.3
petechial
  • Specialized
5 9.9
normal
1.0

Surface Forms

petechial positive

Morphology

petechial = petechia (opaque) = petechia + al

The adjective is regularly formed with '-al', but the base noun is a specialized medical term that most learners will not know, so the meaning is not readily predictable.

Etymology

Petechial comes from the Italian word petecchia, which means 'small spot'. So petechial describes the tiny red or purple 'spots' that appear when blood leaks under the skin.