hives
hives Lexical Profile
hives Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A skin disorder, often caused by an allergic reaction or stress, characterized by the sudden appearance of raised, red, intensely itchy welts on the skin.
"She broke out in hives shortly after eating the dish containing peanuts."
Plural form of hive: artificial shelters or natural nests housing colonies of bees, or places teeming with busy activity.
"The beekeeper inspected the wooden hives at the edge of the apple orchard."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the itchy skin condition, "hives" is a plural-form noun that can take either a singular or plural verb (e.g., "hives is an allergic reaction" or "her hives were itching"), and an individual bump is sometimes called a "hive." It is also the standard plural of "hive" (a bee colony or shelter).
• Rhymes for hives
Word Origin & Etymology
The dermatological sense of "hives" was first recorded in 18th-century Scottish and northern English dialect; its exact connection to "hive" (from Old English "hyf," meaning a beehive) is uncertain, though it may have been inspired by the dome-shaped swelling of the welts or the stinging sensation resembling bee stings.