lesion
Americannoun
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an injury; hurt; wound.
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Pathology. any localized, abnormal structural change in the body.
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Plant Pathology. any localized, defined area of diseased tissue, as a spot, canker, blister, or scab.
verb (used with object)
noun
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any structural change in a bodily part resulting from injury or disease
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an injury or wound
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lesion
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin laesiōn-, stem of laesiō “injury,” from Latin laes(us) “harmed” (past participle of laedere “to harm”) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A lesion is an injury to the living tissue on your body, like your skin or an organ. Usually a lesion involves a break or wound to the skin, so protect it with a bandage so that it heals quickly. Lesion, pronounced "LEE-zhun," comes from the Latin word laesionem meaning "injury." Lesions on the skin are usually not very nice to look at, the kind of wounds that might make you grimace — things like open sores, cuts, deep scrapes or puss-filled gashes. Lesions also are a concern of doctors because if lesions develop without explanation, it can be a sign that your immune system is dangerously weak.
Vocabulary lists containing lesion
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Feed
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Psychology
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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.
See Examples For:
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva underwent surgery Friday that removed a lesion on his scalp, less than six months before the presidential elections.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
The cause, he later said, was a lesion on the part of the brain that controls anxiety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
He sat directly across from me, fixed me with a professional gaze, and said, “I’ve got the results of your MRI. There’s a lesion on your hip.”
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2026
"I couldn't even imagine the lesion like this. I'd only ever seen it in 2D."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2026
I was being a little careful when I ran into other people, because of the arm lesion.
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
But following a visit to his parents in Spain, his son was left with lesions on his brain which affected his gross and fine motor movement and his speech.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Future research will expand to larger primate samples, investigate diet-wear links in the wild, and apply advanced imaging to see how lesions form.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026
His report last year noted minor sun damage and benign lesions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
More than 30% of snakes with skin lesions tested positive for snake fungal disease, compared to just 2% of snakes without lesions.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
Thing! had started to get lesions, so now people were thinking better about lesions, and lesions even looked kind of cool.
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
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.
