Definition

A type of skin disease that causes dry, flaky patches on the skin.

Example

The doctor diagnosed her with pityriasis after noticing the dry patches on her arms.

Conversation

I heard you have a skin condition called pityriasis.

Yeah, it's just some dry patches that keep flaking off.

That sounds annoying! How do you deal with pityriasis?

I use a special cream, and it helps a lot to keep it under control.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Pityriasis → It is formed from "pityron" (from Greek, meaning bran) and the suffix "-iasis" (meaning a condition or disease). The word "pityriasis" refers to a condition characterized by the shedding of skin flakes resembling bran.

Memory Tip

Think of 'bran' ('pityron') to remember that 'pityriasis' describes a skin condition that causes flaking, similar to how bran appears.

Visually Confused Words