Noun: giant hives
- Recurrent large circumscribed areas of subcutaneous oedema; onset is sudden and disappears within 24 hours; seen mainly in young women, often as an allergic reaction to food or drugs
"Her lips swelled dramatically due to giant hives";
- angioedema, atrophedema, periodic edema, Quincke's edema
Type of: dropsy, edema [N. Amer], hydrops, oedema [Brit, Cdn]