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Definition of 'callus'

Word Frequency

callus

(kæləs )
Word forms: plural calluses
countable noun
A callus is an unwanted area of thick skin, usually on the palms of your hands or the soles of your feet, which has been caused by something rubbing against it.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

callus in British

(ˈkæləs )
nounWord forms: plural -luses
1. Also called: callosity
an area of skin that is hard or thick, esp on the palm of the hand or sole of the foot, as from continual friction or pressure
2. 
an area of bony tissue formed during the healing of a fractured bone
3. botany
a. 
a mass of hard protective tissue produced in woody plants at the site of an injury
b. 
an accumulation of callose in the sieve tubes
4. biotechnology
a mass of undifferentiated cells produced as the first stage in tissue culture
verb
5. 
to produce or cause to produce a callus
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'callus'
C16: from Latin, variant of callum hardened skin
Word Frequency

callus in American

(ˈkæləs ; kalˈəs)
nounWord forms: plural ˈcalluses
1. 
a hardened, thickened place on the skin
2. 
the hard substance that forms at the break in a fractured bone and serves to reunite the parts
3. 
a disorganized mass of cells that develops over cuts or wounds on plants, as at the ends of stem or leaf cuttings
verb intransitive, verb transitive
4. 
to develop or cause to develop a callus
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'callus'
L, var. of callum, hard skin

Example sentences containing 'callus'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Then he looked at Archer's measuring eyes and remembered the ridges of callus on the side of his hand. Elizabeth Lowell PEARL COVE (2001)

Trends of 'callus'

Used Occasionally. callus is one of the 30000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Nearby words of 'callus'

  • callow
  • calltime
  • calluna
  • callus
  • calm
  • calm down
  • calmant

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'C'

Source

Definition of callus from the Collins English Dictionary

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Scrabble score for 'callus': 8
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