Callous
/ˈkæl.əs/noun
Emotionally hardened and insensitive, or thickened and toughened like skin.
Did you know?English callous comes from Latin callosus, meaning “thick-skinned,” from callum (“hard skin”); the emotional sense is a later metaphor, not an ancient curse.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
callum
“hard skin; a callus”
Latin
Latin
callosus
“thick-skinned; hardened”
Late Middle English
English
callous
“hardened or thickened, especially of the skin”
17th Century
English
callous
“insensitive to suffering; emotionally hardened”
Modern English
English
callous
“showing or having an insensitive disregard for others”