Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology.
Pruritus
How to say it:Pruritus(proo-RIGHT-us)
What it means: Feeling itchy.
Where it comes from: Latin,prurio, “to itch”
Oscar Wong / Getty Images

Where you might see or hear it: If you go to your provider with an irritating rash, they’ll probably ask you if ititches. If you say yes, they would note “pruritus” as a symptom in your medical record.
When you might want to use it: Most of the time, it’s easy enough just to say that you feel itchy. Sometimes, the cause of the itching is clear, like a rash.
Why Does Liver Disease Make You Itch?
SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster.Definition of pruritus.
Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster.Definition of pruritus.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Merriam-Webster.Definition of pruritus.
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