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Scrofulous

Disease
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Affected by scrofula, a historical term for tuberculous swelling of the lymph nodes. It can suggest visible decay, stigma, and inherited weakness.

Detailed Definition
Scrofulous carries the harsh social and bodily associations of an older medical vocabulary. Historically linked to swollen glands and tuberculosis, it may appear in poetry concerned with poverty, class prejudice, contagion, or the shame imposed on sick bodies. Its sound is abrasive and physical, making it useful when a poem resists sentimental portrayals of illness. Figuratively, it can describe a society imagined as diseased at its hidden joints and vulnerable places.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The scrofulous king hid his swollen neck beneath lace” can allude to the historical disease scrofula and royal healing myths; “Scrofulous children waited in the parish rain” creates a socially grounded image of poverty and illness; “A scrofulous orchard bore fruit blotched and bitter” transfers bodily corruption to landscape; Use the term cautiously in “the scrofulous court,” where it metaphorically condemns moral decay
Additional Notes
Scrofulous is a historical medical term with associations of swollen glands and visible illness. In older literature, it may imply stigma, decay, or inherited misery.
Also Known As
Strumous
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