petechia
1
9.9
- noun
- /pəˈtēkēə/
- Specialized
:
petequia
- After the fall, small petechia appeared around his ankle where the impact had occurred.
Examples
-
The rash became confluent; a centrifugal distribution and prominent petechia appeared at sites of trauma or pressure.
Academic text (2014) -
The doctor examined the patient and noted the presence of petechia on her arms, indicating possible minor bleeding.
-
She was worried when she saw petechia forming on her legs, as it could be a sign of an underlying health issue.
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
petechia = petech + ia
The element '-ia' is a medical noun-forming suffix but the root 'petech' is not a recognizable English base, so learners cannot derive the meaning from the parts.
Etymology
Petechia comes from the Italian word petecchia, which means 'small spot'. These tiny red or purple 'spots' appear when very small blood vessels break, so the origin explains why we use petechia for those little marks on the skin.