Wen
/wɛn/noun
A wen is a benign cyst or fatty lump beneath the skin, and historically the word could also describe an overgrown town or city.
Did you know?In the 19th century, critics—including William Cobbett—called London “the Great Wen,” portraying the expanding metropolis as an unnatural bodily tumor.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wanwōn
“A reconstructed term associated with a swelling or tumor; its deeper origin is uncertain.”
Old English
Old English
wenn
“A tumor, swelling, or cyst on the body.”
Middle English
English
wen
“A lump, swelling, or cyst.”
17th Century
English
wen
“A sebaceous cyst or other benign bodily growth.”
19th Century
English
wen
“A large, overgrown town or city, used figuratively as though it were a bodily swelling.”
Modern English
English
wen
“A benign cyst or fatty lump; the urban metaphor survives mainly in historical writing.”