Pathology · Integumentary System · Hard

Acanthosis

Meaning: Thickening of the prickle-cell layer of the epidermis, making the skin appear thick or velvety.

In practice: Dark velvety acanthosis in the armpits can be a marker of insulin resistance.

Word parts

  • -osis means an abnormal condition or process

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

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Which word means: Non-cancerous; a benign tumour does not invade surrounding tissue or metastasise.

Which word means: Small circular piece of DNA in bacteria that can carry genes such as antibiotic resistance.

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Related words

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