Enanthemata

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Rashes or lesions that appear on the mucous membranes, such as those lining the mouth or throat, often as a sign of illness
2. Spots or eruptions visible on moist internal surfaces of the body, usually noticed during a medical examination of the mouth
3. Medical skin-like markings that develop on the lining of body cavities, frequently accompanying a systemic infection or disease

Etymology: "Enanthemata" is the plural of "enanthema," a term for a rash on a mucous membrane, such as the inside of the mouth or the throat. The singular is built from Greek roots: "en," meaning "in" or "within," and "anthema," meaning "eruption" or "blossom," from "anthein," to bloom. Set against the familiar "exanthem," a rash on the skin, the pair reads as a neat contrast: "ex-" points outward to the surface, while "en-" points inward, to the membranes lining the body's openings. Because the word is a compound of Greek elements, it is a technical coinage from medical language rather than an ancient term. Greek "anthema" originally named a flower or blossom, and physicians borrowed the image of something breaking out and showing on the body. The plural follows the Greek neuter pattern, with "-ata" becoming "-ata" in English, so "enanthemata" is the form used when more than one such rash is being described.