What does "callus" mean?

A hardened area of the skin (especially on the foot or hand) caused by repeated friction, wear or use.

What is a synonym for "callus"?

Common synonyms include: callosity, armor, benign tumor, callosity, callousness, cancer.

noun, verb

noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
A hardened area of the skin (especially on the foot or hand) caused by repeated friction, wear or use. countable, uncountable
"Sylvanshine had once been on a first date with a Xerox rep who had complex and slightly repulsive patterns of callus on her fingers from playing the banjo semi-professionally"
2
(botany) an isolated thickening of tissue, especially a stiff protuberance on the lip of an orchid wordnet
3
The material of repair in fractures of bone; a substance exuded at the site of fracture, which is at first soft or cartilaginous in consistency, but is ultimately converted into true bone and unites the fragments into a single piece. countable, uncountable
4
bony tissue formed during the healing of a fractured bone wordnet
5
The new formation over the end of a cutting, before it puts out rootlets. countable, uncountable

Show 4 more definitions

6
an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot) wordnet
7
In orchids, a fleshy outgrowth from the labellum. countable, uncountable
8
In grasses, a hardened extension from the base of a floret, which may or may not elongate and is often covered in hairs or bristles. countable, uncountable
9
A shining area on the frons of many species of Tabanomorpha (horse flies and relatives). countable, uncountable

Verb

"I have a callus on the sole of my foot."

Borrowed from Latin callum (“hard skin”). Displaced Old English wearr.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.