Sebum
/ˈsiː.bəm/noun
An oily substance produced by glands in the skin.
Did you know?Sebum was the term used in classical Latin for tallow or grease, and English kept it as the scientific name for the body’s own oily secretion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sep-
“to drip, ooze, or trickle”
Latin
Latin
sebum
“tallow, grease, fat”
Late Latin
Latin
sebum
“animal fat; greasy matter”
17th Century
English
sebum
“a greasy substance, especially animal fat”
19th Century
English
sebum
“the oily secretion of sebaceous glands in the skin”
Modern English
English
sebum
“the oily substance produced by the skin's sebaceous glands”
Explore more surprising origins