Path. [L. aphtha (in cl. L. always in pl. aphthæ), a. Gr. ἄφθα, mostly in pl. ἄφθαι; usually connected with ἄπτ-ειν to set on fire, inflame.] A name given to the infantile disease ‘thrush,’ and, in the plural, to the small white specks on the mouth and tongue which characterize it, and which also occasionally appear in adults of enfeebled condition.
1657. Phys. Dict., Aptha, certain ulcers bred in the uppermost part of the mouth.
1862. H. Macmillan, in Macm. Mag., Oct., 465/1. This affection, called aphtha or thrush, is caused by the growth and development of a parasitic plant.
1879. Khory, Digest of Med., 26. The lips and tongue are covered with aphthæ.
