Did you know?
Is it possible that the origins of the noun rash (meaning “an eruption on the body,” as in “a skin rash”) and the adjective rash (meaning “overly hasty”) are the same? Not so fast! Like many homonyms—“two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning”—the two rashes have distinct sources. The noun rash, which first appeared in English in the late 17th century, probably comes ultimately from the Latin verb rādere, meaning “to scrape, scratch, shave.” The adjective rash appears to be about two centuries older, and comes from a Middle English word meaning “active, quick, eager.”
Examples of rash in a Sentence
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
The Niners had to deal with a gnarly rash of injuries to players such as Aiyuk, star running back Christian McCaffrey and future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
The acute phase may last weeks or months and often goes unnoticed, though some people develop fever, fatigue, body aches, rash or swelling around the bite site, the CDC says.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
Andrew Baggarly, The Mercury News, 2 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for rash
Cite this Entry
“Rash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rash. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rash
1 of 2 adjectiverash
2 of 2 nounMedical Definition
rash
noun
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