‖ aphtha Path.
(ˈæfθə)
[L. aphtha (in cl. L. always in pl. aphthæ), a. Gr. ἄϕθα, mostly in pl. ἄϕθαι; usually connected with ἅπτ-ειν to set on fire, inflame.]
A name given to the infantile disease ‘thrush,’ and, in the plural, to the small white specks on the mouth and tongue which characterize it, and which also occasionally appear in adults of enfeebled condition.
| 1657 Phys. Dict., Aptha, certain ulcers bred in the uppermost part of the mouth. 1862 H. Macmillan in Macm. Mag. Oct. 465 Aphtha or thrush, is caused by the growth and development of a parasitic plant. 1879 Khorz Digest of Med. 26 The lips and tongue are covered with aphthæ. |