pinta

1 of 2

noun (1)

pin·​ta ˈpin-tə How to pronounce pinta (audio)
-ˌtä
: a chronic skin disease that is endemic in tropical America, that occurs successively as an initial papule, a generalized eruption, and a patchy loss of pigment, and that is caused by a treponemal spirochete (Treponema careteum) morphologically indistinguishable from the causative agent of syphilis

pinta

2 of 2

noun (2)

British
: a pint of milk

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

American Spanish, from Spanish, spot, mark, from Vulgar Latin *pincta

Noun (2)

pint + -a (as in cuppa)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1825, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pinta was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near pinta

Cite this Entry

“Pinta.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinta. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

pinta

noun
: a chronic skin disease that is endemic in tropical America, that occurs successively as an initial papule, a generalized eruption, and a patchy loss of pigment, and that is caused by a spirochete of the genus Treponema (T. careteum) morphologically indistinguishable from the causative agent of syphilis

called also mal del pinto, pinto

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