weal

/wil/

Other forms: weals

A weal is a sore or other mark on the skin. Don't pick up that hot pan without an oven mitt — it will burn you and leave a red weal on your hand.

Think of a weal as the painful-looking mark on the skin. In medicine, weal means an itchy, raised rash: "The weals on his neck make me think he's allergic to cats." This noun also has a completely different meaning: it can refer to a state of being content and prosperous, especially when discussing society as a whole. These two meanings of weal have different roots.

Definitions of weal

1. noun

   a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions
   synonyms: wale, welt, wheal

   type of:

   harm, hurt, injury, trauma

   any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
2. noun

   a contented state of being happy, healthy, and prosperous
   synonyms: eudaemonia, eudaimonia, upbeat, welfare, well-being, wellbeing

   types:

   fool's paradise

   an illusory state of wellbeing

   health, wellness

   a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

   type of:

   prosperity, successfulness

   the condition of prospering; having good fortune
3. noun

   the good of a community
   synonyms: common good, commonweal

   type of:

   good

   benefit