king's evil

king's evil
Evil E"vil ([=e]"v'l) n. 1. Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; injury; mischief; harm; -- opposed to {good}. [1913 Webster]

Evils which our own misdeeds have wrought. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

The evil that men do lives after them. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. Moral badness, or the deviation of a moral being from the principles of virtue imposed by conscience, or by the will of the Supreme Being, or by the principles of a lawful human authority; disposition to do wrong; moral offence; wickedness; depravity. [1913 Webster]

The heart of the sons of men is full of evil. --Eccl. ix. 3. [1913 Webster]

3. malady or disease; especially in the phrase {king's evil}, the scrofula. [R.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

He [Edward the Confessor] was the first that touched for the evil. --Addison. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • King's evil — King King, n. [AS. cyng, cyning; akin to OS. kuning, D. koning, OHG. kuning, G. k[ o]nig, Icel. konungr, Sw. konung, Dan. konge; formed with a patronymic ending, and fr. the root of E. kin; cf. Icel. konr a man of noble birth. [root]44. See {Kin} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • king's evil — n. [transl. of ML regius morbus: from the notion that a king s touch could cure it] Obs. SCROFULA …   English World dictionary

  • king's evil — scrofula, late 14c., translates M.L. regius morbus; so called because the kings of England and France claimed to heal it by their touch. In England, the custom dates from Edward the Confessor and was continued through the Stuarts (Charles II… …   Etymology dictionary

  • king's evil —    An old term for scrofula. Kings of England and France claimed to heal it by their touch a gift conferred by God through the oil used at their coronation. The first English ruler to touch for the evil was Edward the Confessor; several… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • king's evil — historic term for cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis (scrofula) which was formerly thought to be curable by the touch of a king. * * * king s evil kiŋz ē vəl, vil n, often cap K&E SCROFULA …   Medical dictionary

  • king's evil — noun (usu. the king s evil) historical scrofula, formerly held to be curable by the royal touch …   English new terms dictionary

  • king's evil — noun scrofula Suppose the person the matter is taken from, has the kings evil, the pox, madness, or some other inveterate disease I am sure the inoculator can give no reason why it should not convey one distemper as well as the other …   Wiktionary

  • king's evil — noun Usage: often capitalized K&E Etymology: from the former belief that it could be healed by a king s touch Date: 14th century scrofula …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • king's evil — scrofula: so called because it was supposed to be curable by the touch of the reigning sovereign. [1350 1400; ME kynges evel] * * * ▪ medical disorder        scrofula (q.v.), or struma, a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands, once popularly… …   Universalium

  • king’s evil — scrofula (lymphgland tuberculosis) …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

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