cicatrix
Americannoun
plural
cicatrices-
Physiology. new tissue that forms over a wound and later contracts into a scar.
-
Botany. a scar left by a fallen leaf, seed, etc.
noun
-
the tissue that forms in a wound during healing; scar
-
a scar on a plant indicating the former point of attachment of a part, esp a leaf
Other Word Forms
- cicatricial adjective
- cicatricose adjective
Etymology
Origin of cicatrix
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: scar
Explanation
A cicatrix is the scar that's left behind on skin after a wound has healed. That raised mark on your hand where you burned yourself on a hot pan a few years ago? That's a cicatrix. You're much more likely to use the word scar, but cicatrix or cicatrice is common medical terminology, so the nurse who bandages your skinned knee is definitely familiar with this term. In Latin, cicatrix means "scar," and it's been used in medicine since the 17th century. Botanists use it too, for scars on tree bark: "You can see the cicatrix where they pruned that big branch, near the top."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She remembers the painful transitions to spring, the sea grapes and the rains, her skin a cicatrix.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
"I would beg to observe," said the lawyer, "that if an old cicatrix is to be the essential token of recognition, few men who have lived the adventurous life of Meekins will escape calumny."
From The Daltons, Volume II (of II) Or,Three Roads In Life by Lever, Charles James
Even the cicatrix on his scalp was invisible, for his hair was made to cover it.
From In the Van; or, The Builders by Price-Brown, John
However, save for a cicatrix to mark the trifling occurrence, he was unharmed.
From The Crooked Stick or Pollies's Probation by Boldrewood, Rolf
Her general health was good; the fœtor had quite gone; the cicatrix over the bone was regular, white, hard, and could be pressed upon without causing pain.
From North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826 by Bache, Franklin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
