Keratosis
/ˌkɛrəˈtoʊsɪs/noun
A condition marked by abnormal thickening or overproduction of keratin in the skin.
Did you know?Keratosis comes from Greek keras/keratos meaning “horn,” a root that also gave English words tied to horned animals and hard, hornlike structures in medicine.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱer-
“horn; head projection”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κέρας (keras), κέρατος (keratos)
“horn”
Late Greek
Greek
-ωσις (-ōsis)
“condition; process; forming a state”
19th Century
Medical Latin
keratosis
“a hornlike skin condition or horny growth”
Modern English
English
keratosis
“a skin condition involving abnormal thickening of keratin”
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