rash

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rash¹ / rash/ • adj. displaying or proceeding from a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences of an action: it would be extremely rash to make such an assumption a rash decision.DERIVATIVES: rash·ly adv.rash·ness n.rash² • n. an area of reddening of a person's skin, sometimes with raised spots, appearing esp. as a result of allergy or illness. ∎ a series of things of the same type, esp. when unpleasant or undesirable, occurring or appearing one after the other within a short space of time: a rash of auto accidents.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

rash

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rash A skin eruption: red spots or mottling of the skin, accompanying a variety of infectious illnesses, allergic reactions, chemical or heat irritation, or specific skin diseases. Rashes may be localized or body-wide and come in several descriptive categories; their distribution and character usually enable doctors to establish the cause.

Stuart Judge

See skin.

The Oxford Companion to the Body COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT

Rash

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Rash

a splashing shower of rain; an unwelcome or unsightly outburst.

Examples : rash of dermatologists (modern )—Mensa Society ; of rain, 1470.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms

rash

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rash1 (dial.) active, brisk XIV; hasty or impetuous in action or behaviour XVI. OE. *ræsc = (M)Du. rasch, OHG. rasc (G. rasch), ON. rǫskr doughty, brave:- Gmc. *raskuz.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

rash

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rash (rash) n. a temporary eruption on the skin, usually typified by reddening, which may be accompanied by itching. A rash may be a local skin reaction or the outward sign of a disorder affecting the body.

A Dictionary of Nursing

rash

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rash2 superficial eruption of the skin. XVIII. corr. in form to OF. ra(s)che skin eruption = It. raschia itch, but the late emergence of the word is against direct connection.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

RASH

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RASH Meteorol. rain shower

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH