Scleroderma
/ˌsklɪəroʊˈdɜːrmə/noun
A group of diseases marked by hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissue.
Did you know?The word is built from Greek skleros (“hard”) + derma (“skin”), and that same derma root also lives in words like dermatitis and epidermis, making the body itself part of the ancient word-web.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
sklērós + dérma
“hard + skin”
Late Latin
Latin
sclērōderma
“a hard-skin condition”
19th Century
Medical Latin / English
scleroderma
“a medical term for skin hardening”
Modern English
English
scleroderma
“a disease marked by thickening and hardening of the skin and connective tissue”