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Glite Dictionary
dhobi itch

dhobi itch

9.8
An itchy skin infection caused by a fungus, often on the inner thighs and groin
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : picazón del dhobi
  • The doctor prescribed an antifungal cream to treat his dhobi itch.

Examples

  • Wearing loose clothing can help prevent dhobi itch in hot and humid climates.

  • Many athletes develop dhobi itch due to excessive sweating.

  • He has a bad case of dhobi itch.

  • Many people suffer from dhobi itch during the summer.

  • Many athletes develop dhobi itch due to excessive sweating in warm conditions.

  • The doctor prescribed an antifungal cream to treat his dhobi itch after diagnosing the fungal infection.

  • Wearing loose, breathable clothing can help prevent dhobi itch in hot and humid climates.

Synonyms

jock itch
vsdhobi itch
2 6.6

A skin infection that causes itching in the groin, often in men

applies regardless of patient gender rather than mainly men
dermatophytosis
vsdhobi itch
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A skin infection caused by a fungus that often affects warm, moist skin under clothes

focuses more narrowly on inner thigh and groin locations
dermatomycosis
vsdhobi itch
  • Specialized
9.9

A skin infection caused by a fungus, often in warm, wet areas under clothing

focuses specifically on inner thigh and groin rather than any covered area

Antonyms

health
∞ 1.0

The condition of a person's body and mind, especially being free from illness or injury

wellness
52 3.2

Good physical and mental health that people try to keep

Surface Forms

dhobi itch singular
dhobi itches plural

Morphology

dhobi + itch

The element 'itch' clearly signals a skin irritation, so part of the meaning is predictable, but 'dhobi' is a culture-specific occupational label (washerman) that does not itself indicate a fungal infection or the typical groin location. Because understanding the full clinical sense (tinea cruris / jock itch) requires cultural or medical knowledge beyond the literal constituents, the expression is only partially transparent to learners who merely know the words.

Etymology

Dhobi itch comes from dhobi, a word for a washer who worked with wet clothes, and itch for the skin problem. Wet clothes and damp skin often caused fungal rashes in the groin, so dhobi itch now means 'a fungal infection that affects the groin and inner thighs'.