cal•lus
Pronunciation: (kal'us), [key] — n., pl. v., -lus•es, -lused, -lus•ing.
—n. -
- a hardened or thickened part of the skin; a callosity.
- a new growth of osseous matter at the ends of a fractured bone, serving to unite them.
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- the tissue that forms over the wounds of plants, protecting the inner tissues and causing healing.
- a deposit on the perforated area of a sieve tube.
- (in grasses) a tough swelling at the base of a lemma or palea.
—v.i. - to form a callus.
—v.t. - to produce a callus or calluses on: Heavy work callused his hands.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.