wen

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a common cyst of the skin; filled with fatty matter (sebum) that is secreted by a sebaceous gland that has been blocked

Etymology

From Middle English wen, wenne, from Old English wenn, wænn (“wen”), from Proto-Germanic *wanjaz. Cognate with Dutch wen (“goiter”), Low German Ween (“wen”), dialectal German Wenne (“wen”), Danish van, væne.

In classic literature

Synonyms

sebaceous cyst, pilar cyst, steatocystoma

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