Keratocanthoma
/ˌkɛrətəʊkænˈθəʊmə/noun
A benign skin tumor characterized by a rapidly growing, keratin-filled, crater-like nodule.
Did you know?Its standard medical relative, keratoacanthoma, describes a lesion whose central keratin plug can resemble a tiny horn or volcanic crater, though it is not an occult growth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“Horn; a projecting or pointed object”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kéras (κέρας)
“Horn”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ákantha (ἄκανθα)
“Thorn or spine”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-ōma (-ωμα)
“A swelling, mass, or tumor”
19th–20th Century
Medical Greek
kerato-acanthoma
“A tumor involving horny tissue and a thorn-like or spiny growth”
Modern English
English
keratocanthoma
“A medical term for a keratinizing, crateriform skin tumor”
Explore more surprising origins