sarcoptic mange

noun

sar·​cop·​tic mange (ˌ)sär-ˈkäp-tik- How to pronounce sarcoptic mange (audio)
: mange caused by mites (genus Sarcoptes) burrowing in the skin especially of the head and face

Examples of sarcoptic mange in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
California wildlife officials also recently reported that the state’s southernmost wolf pack in Tulare County is suffering from sarcoptic mange, a disease caused by parasitic mites that can cause itchy skin lesions and hair loss. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025 The population is largely healthy, though the Yellowstone wolves have suffered from diseases like distemper and a skin infection known as sarcoptic mange, which is transmitted by mites. — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Sarcoptes, a genus of mites (probably for expected *Sarcocoptes, from sarco- sarco- + Greek kop-, stem of kóptein "to strike, cut off" + -tēs, agent suffix) + -ic entry 1 — more at apocope

Note: The genus name Sarcoptes was introduced, without etymology, by the French zoologist Pierre André Latreille (1762-1833) in Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des crustacés et des insectes, tome 3, Paris, An X [1802], p. 67, replacing Linnaeus's Acarus scabiei.

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sarcoptic mange was in 1886

Rhymes for sarcoptic mange

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Browse Nearby Words

Sarcopterygii
sarcoptic mange
sarcoptid
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Cite this Entry

“Sarcoptic mange.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcoptic%20mange. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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Medical Definition

sarcoptic mange

noun
: mange caused by mites of the genus Sarcoptes that burrow in the skin especially of the head and face compare chorioptic mange, demodectic mange
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