callus

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot)
  2. noun bony tissue formed during the healing of a fractured bone
  3. noun (botany) an isolated thickening of tissue, especially a stiff protuberance on the lip of an orchid

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin callum (“hard skin”). Displaced Old English wearr.

Synonyms

callosity

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