Standard Lemma guide

callus

noun · verb · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, UK: /ˈkæləs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æləs
  • homophone: callous
  • CMU ARPABET: K AE1 L AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The new formation over the end of a cutting, before it puts out rootlets.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

In orchids, a fleshy outgrowth from the labellum.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A shining area on the frons of many species of Tabanomorpha (horse flies and relatives).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, entomology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To form such hardened tissue.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

(botany) an isolated thickening of tissue, especially a stiff protuberance on the lip of an orchid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plant process, enation

9

noun

Meaning 9

bony tissue formed during the healing of a fractured bone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: scar, cicatrix, cicatrice

Narrower terms: chestnut

10

noun

Meaning 10

an area of skin that is thick or hard from continual pressure or friction (as the sole of the foot)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: callosity

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hardening

Narrower terms: corn, clavus

11

verb

Meaning 11

form a callus or calluses

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • His foot callused

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: harden, indurate

12

verb

Meaning 12

cause a callus to form on

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The long march had callused his feet

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: harden, indurate

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

111 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: аӡа́ӷьа (adzáğja) — hardened part of the skin
  • Abkhaz: а́мса (ámsa) — hardened part of the skin
  • Arabic: جُسْأَة (jusʔa) — hardened part of the skin
  • Arabic: فالول (fālūl) — hardened part of the skin
  • Armenian: կոշտուկ (koštuk) — hardened part of the skin
  • Azerbaijani: qabar — hardened part of the skin
  • Azerbaijani: döyənək — hardened part of the skin
  • Bashkir: һөйәл (höyəl) — hardened part of the skin
  • Bulgarian: мазо́л (mazól) — hardened part of the skin
  • Catalan: call — hardened part of the skin
  • Catalan: cal·lus — hardened part of the skin
  • Catalan: durícia — hardened part of the skin
  • Catalan: mula — hardened part of the skin
  • Cebuano: lupak — hardened part of the skin
  • Cebuano: kubal — hardened part of the skin
  • Chinese Mandarin: 胼胝 (piánzhī) — hardened part of the skin
  • Chinese Mandarin: 老繭 /老茧 (lǎojiǎn) — hardened part of the skin
  • Chinese Mandarin: 繭子 /茧子 (jiǎnzi) — hardened part of the skin
  • Czech: mozol — hardened part of the skin
  • Czech: kuří oko — hardened part of the skin
  • Old Czech: kuřie řinda — hardened part of the skin
  • Danish: hård hud — hardened part of the skin
  • Danish: valk — hardened part of the skin
  • Dutch: eelt — hardened part of the skin
  • Esperanto: kaluso — hardened part of the skin
  • Finnish: känsä — hardened part of the skin
  • Finnish: kovettuma — hardened part of the skin
  • French: cal — hardened part of the skin
  • French: durillon — hardened part of the skin
  • French: calus — hardened part of the skin
  • Galician: amata — hardened part of the skin
  • Galician: calo — hardened part of the skin
  • Galician: talo — hardened part of the skin
  • Gallurese: gaddu — hardened part of the skin
  • Gallurese: incàddu — hardened part of the skin
  • German: Schwiele — hardened part of the skin
  • German: Hornhaut — hardened part of the skin
  • German: Kallus — hardened part of the skin
  • Greek: κάλος (kálos) — hardened part of the skin
  • Greek: τύλωμα (týloma) — hardened part of the skin
  • Ancient Greek: τύλη (túlē) — hardened part of the skin
  • Hebrew: גרומת (grómet) — hardened part of the skin
  • Hebrew: קלוס (kálus) — hardened part of the skin
  • Hungarian: bőrkeményedés — hardened part of the skin
  • Icelandic: sigg — hardened part of the skin
  • Ingrian: villi — hardened part of the skin
  • Italian: callo — hardened part of the skin
  • Japanese: 胼胝 — hardened part of the skin
  • Khmer: ក្រិន (krən) — hardened part of the skin
  • Khmer: ពកស្លា (pɔɔk slaa) — hardened part of the skin
  • Latin: callum — hardened part of the skin
  • Macedonian: кла́вус (klávus) — hardened part of the skin
  • Malay: belulang — hardened part of the skin
  • Māori: pātio — hardened part of the skin
  • Navajo: kébąąh ntłʼizgo dah naaznilígíí — hardened part of the skin
  • Navajo: kébąąh ntłʼizgo daditánígíí — hardened part of the skin
  • Norwegian Bokmål: træl — hardened part of the skin
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: træl — hardened part of the skin
  • Occitan: bast — hardened part of the skin
  • Occitan: barda — hardened part of the skin
  • Old English: wearr — hardened part of the skin
  • Persian: پینه (pine) — hardened part of the skin
  • Persian: شغه (šoġe) — hardened part of the skin
  • Persian: کلخچ (kalaxč) — hardened part of the skin
  • Plautdietsch: Schwiel — hardened part of the skin
  • Polish: odcisk — hardened part of the skin
  • Polish: nagniotek — hardened part of the skin
  • Portuguese: calo — hardened part of the skin
  • Quechua: khacha — hardened part of the skin
  • Romanian: bătătură — hardened part of the skin
  • Russian: мозо́ль (mozólʹ) — hardened part of the skin
  • Campidanese Sardinian: callu — hardened part of the skin
  • Sardinian: addu — hardened part of the skin
  • Sassarese: gaddu — hardened part of the skin
  • Serbo-Croatian: žulj — hardened part of the skin
  • Sicilian: caḍḍu — hardened part of the skin
  • Slovak: kurie oko — hardened part of the skin
  • Spanish: callo — hardened part of the skin
  • Spanish: callosidad — hardened part of the skin
  • Spanish: dureza — hardened part of the skin
  • Spanish: duricia — hardened part of the skin
  • Swedish: valk — hardened part of the skin
  • Tagalog: lipak — hardened part of the skin
  • Tagalog: kalyo — hardened part of the skin
  • Tarifit: ařeffix — hardened part of the skin
  • Thai: ผิวหนังที่ด้านหนา (pĭw năng têe dâan năa) — hardened part of the skin
  • Turkish: nasır — hardened part of the skin
  • Ottoman Turkish: ناصور (nasır) — hardened part of the skin
  • Ukrainian: мозо́ль (mozólʹ) — hardened part of the skin
  • Vietnamese: chai — hardened part of the skin
  • Volapük: honaskin — hardened part of the skin
  • Welsh: caleden — hardened part of the skin
  • Finnish: uudisluu — material of repair in fractures of bone
  • Finnish: kallus — material of repair in fractures of bone
  • Malay: kalus — material of repair in fractures of bone
  • Arabic: الكالس النباتات — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • Armenian: կալուս (kalus) — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 癒傷組織 /愈伤组织 (yùshāng zǔzhī) — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • Finnish: haavasolukko — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • Finnish: kallus — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • German: Kallus — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • Persian: پینه (pīne) — botany: new formation over the end of a cutting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 長繭 /长茧 (zhǎng jiǎn) — to form hardened tissue
  • Finnish: känsittyä — to form hardened tissue
  • German: verhornen — to form hardened tissue
  • Italian: incallire — to form hardened tissue
  • Māori: pātio — to form hardened tissue
  • Portuguese: calejar — to form hardened tissue
  • Portuguese: encalecer — to form hardened tissue
  • Turkish: nasırlanmak — to form hardened tissue
  • Ottoman Turkish: ناصورلانمق (nasırlanmak) — to form hardened tissue