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.
callus in British English
(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
Word origin
C16: from Latin, variant of callum hardened skin
callus in American English
(ˈkæləs)
nounWord forms: pluralˈcalluses
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
Word origin
L, var. of callum, hard skin
Examples of 'callus' in a sentence
callus
Then he looked at Archer's measuring eyes and remembered the ridges of callus on the side of his hand.