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callus

UK/ˈkæləs/US/ˈkæləs/
nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,618 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: calli, calluses

A callus is a patch of skin hardened by rubbing. A callus on the palm, build up calluses, file down the callus.

It is the body protecting itself, and a guitarist or a rower wants them rather than otherwise. It is spelled callus with a u for the skin and callous with an o for the adjective meaning unfeeling, and the two are confused constantly.

Emilio J. Rodríguez Posada · CC BY-SA 3.0

Definitions of callus

  1. 1nouncallusA patch of skin hardened by rubbing.B2+

    “Years of rowing had left a hard callus on each of her palms.”

callus is a skin condition.

Where it comes from

Latin callum means hard skin. The same root gives callous, the adjective, which took an o in English and now means unfeeling rather than hardened.

  1. Latin

    callum — hard skin

  2. English, today

    callus

Latin callum (“hard skin”). wearr.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

callus in the wild

  • Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on the feet and hands, but they may occur anywhere on the skin.

    Callus

  • Some degree of callus, such as on the bottom of the foot, is normal.

    Callus

  • The callus is the first sign of union visible on x-rays, usually 3 weeks after the fracture.

    Fibrocartilage callus

  • Some have modified fleshy lumps on the upper surface generally referred to as the callus (plural: calli), with some being divided into multiple ridges or a central keel.

    Labellum (botany)

  • When the callus is flat and broad, it is sometimes called a plate, which can have fringed margins.

    Labellum (botany)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

From Project Gutenberg, public domain. These sentences are from real books, shown to illustrate the word at work.

Related words

the callum family

callouscallus

callus — used about once every 15,236 pages · #12,618 · point at the bar for the others