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

person itching their arm

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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