Helcous
/ˈhɛl.kəs/noun
Relating to or resembling an ulcer.
Did you know?Helcous belongs to the same ancient word family as ulcer, revealing that Greek helkos and Latin ulcus were historical linguistic relatives for sores and wounds.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*welk-
“To wound or injure; a reconstructed root associated with sores and wounds.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἕλκος (helkos)
“A wound, sore, or ulcer.”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
ἑλκώδης (helkōdēs)
“Ulcerous or resembling an ulcer.”
17th Century
English
helcous
“Ulcerous; relating to an ulcer.”
Modern English
English
helcous
“A rare technical adjective meaning ulcerous.”
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