hives

Etymology 1

Uncertain, but frequently connected with heave, even if such a derivation is phonologically difficult.

noun

  1. Itchy, swollen, red areas of the skin which can appear quickly in response to an allergen or due to other conditions.
    So when I was diagnosed with a fairly difficult-to-treat disease called idiopathic angioedema and chronic urticaria (a fancy way of saying we don’t know why you swell and hey, enjoy the 24/7 hives) six months ago, I wasn't quite sure how to cope. 2014-01-20, Simona Supekar, “How the Internet Helped Me Cope With My Rare Disease”, in The Atlantic
    When she recovers enough to look down at her arms … she blinks to see them covered in faint, but rising, puffy welts. Hives. She's breaking out in hives. 2020, N. K. Jemisin, The City We Became, Orbit, page 108

Etymology 2

See hive

noun

  1. plural of hive

verb

  1. third-person singular simple present indicative of hive

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