callus.

1. A localized area of hardened, thickened skin produced by repeated pressure or friction.

2. New tissue formed around a healing bone fracture, which develops and remodels during repair.

3. A mass of relatively undifferentiated plant cells, often developing at an injury or in culture.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a heel callus
• a callus on the palm

On the page

A callus on her palm matched the rough edge of the old handle.

The creature’s calluses followed a pattern no ordinary grip could explain.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror. Forms: Singular callus; plural calluses, with calli also used technically. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: calluses.