n., pl., -chi·ae (-kē-ī').
A small purplish spot on a body surface, such as the skin or a mucous membrane, caused by a minute hemorrhage and often seen in typhus.
[New Latin, from Italian petecchie, pl. of petecchia, spot on skin, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *petīcula, short for *impetīcula, diminutive of Latin impetīx, impetīc-, variant of impetīgō. See impetigo.]
petechial pe·te'chi·al adj.petechiate pe·te'chi·ate (-ĭt) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
