Sclerotic
/skləˈrɒtɪk/noun
Relating to or affected by hardening, especially of body tissue.
Did you know?Sclerotic comes from Greek skleros, meaning “hard,” the same ancient root behind sclerosis, so the word’s history is basically a long record of hardening, in both body and idea.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“to be hard, dry”
Ancient Greek
Greek
skleros
“hard, rough, tough”
Late Latin
Latin
scleroticus
“hard; hardened, especially in medical usage”
14th Century
English
sclerotique
“hardened; relating to hardening of tissue”
Modern English
English
sclerotic
“hardened, especially pathologically; rigid or inflexible”