Rubefacere

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To induce redness in a body part or surface through irritation or inflammation
2. to cause an area to become reddened as a result of chemical or physical action
3. to stimulate an increase in blood flow, resulting in the reddening of the skin or tissue

Etymology: "Rubefacere" is a Latin verb built from "ruber," meaning "red," and "facere," meaning "to make," so it literally means "to make red." English took it up as a technical term, and it is a learned coinage from classical roots rather than a word that circulated in ancient Rome, which had no need for a term about blood flow to the skin. The word's sense is narrow and deliberate. Its use is tied to the medical description of rubefacients, substances applied to the skin to produce local redness and warmth by dilating blood vessels. The same Latin pattern, a color adjective plus "facere," gives English other technical coinages, such as "calefacient" from "calere" (to be warm) for a substance that produces warmth. Those who first used these terms were drawing on the grammar of Latin to name effects they could observe and describe, not repeating an older medical tradition.

Synonyms: redden, flush, blush, flare, inflame

Antonyms: pale, bleach, whiten, blanch, cool