Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
aph·tha Pronunciation:
'af-th&, 'ap-th& Variant:
also ap·tha /'ap-/ Function:
noun Inflected Form:
plural aph·thae also ap·thae /-"thE/ 1 : a speck, flake, or blister on the mucous membranes (as in the mouth orgastrointestinal tract or on the lips) characteristic of some diseases (as thrush)
2 : one of the vesicles filled with clear serous fluid that occur in the mouth, on the udder, andin the spaces between the digits of cloven-footed animals in some diseases —usually used in plural
3 : a disease (as foot-and-mouth disease) characterized by aphthae —
aph·thic /-thik/ adjective
