purpura

American  

[pur-pyoor-uh] / ˈpɜr pyʊər ə /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease characterized by purple or brownish-red spots on the skin or mucous membranes, caused by the extravasation of blood.

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purpura British  

/ ˈpɜːpjʊrə /

noun

1. pathol any of several blood diseases causing purplish spots or patches on the skin due to subcutaneous bleeding

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Other Word Forms

• purpuric adjective

Etymology

Origin of purpura

1680–90; < New Latin, special use of Latin purpura. See purple

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, Cablivi addresses a rare blood clotting disorder, acquired or immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, Sanofi said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

There are many different types of vasculitis that go by different names, including Behcet's disease, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Buerger's disease, Cryoglobulinemia, Takayasu's arteritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Kawasaki disease and giant cell arteritis.

From Salon • Aug. 10, 2022

These ailments include myocarditis, neuromyelitis optica, primary membranous nephropathy and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

From Scientific American • Sep. 8, 2021

Complications such as immune thrombocytopenic purpura have been reported in Zika cases before, but patients usually recover.

From MSNBC • Apr. 29, 2016

Others are the names of articles of foreign origin, as pipor, pepper, piper; purpur, purple, purpura; pumicstan, pumicestone, pumex.

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)