Dictionary.com

sclerosis

[ skli-roh-sis ]
/ sklɪˈroʊ sɪs /
Save This Word!

noun, plural scle·ro·ses [skli-roh-seez]. /sklɪˈroʊ siz/.

Pathology. a hardening or induration of a tissue or part, or an increase of connective tissue or the like at the expense of more active tissue.
Botany. a hardening of a tissue or cell wall by thickening or lignification.

QUIZZES

DO A DOUBLE TAKE ON THIS QUIZ ON CONTRONYMS

Look both ways before you take this quiz on contronyms, or words that can have opposite meanings.
Question 1 of 7
Choose the sentence that uses "rent" correctly.
No one wanted to rent the run-down house on the corner.
His rent was so loud that people the next block over could hear it.
I had rent the apartment from an eccentric old lady.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Origin of sclerosis

1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin <Greek sklḗrōsis hardening. See scler-, -osis

OTHER WORDS FROM sclerosis

scle·ro·sal, adjective

Words nearby sclerosis

sclerosed, sclerosing adenosis, sclerosing hemangioma, sclerosing keratitis, sclerosing osteitis, sclerosis, sclerostenosis, sclerostomy, sclerotherapy, sclerotic, sclerotic body
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for sclerosis

British Dictionary definitions for sclerosis

sclerosis
/ (sklɪəˈrəʊsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-siːz)

pathol a hardening or thickening of organs, tissues, or vessels from chronic inflammation, abnormal growth of fibrous tissue, or degeneration of the myelin sheath of nerve fibres, or (esp on the inner walls of arteries) deposition of fatty plaquesCompare arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis
the hardening of a plant cell wall or tissue by the deposition of lignin
a debilitating lack of progress or innovation within an institution or organization

Derived forms of sclerosis

sclerosal, adjective

Word Origin for sclerosis

C14: via Medieval Latin from Greek sklērōsis a hardening
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for sclerosis

sclerosis
[ sklə-rō′sĭs ]

n. pl. scle•ro•ses (-sēz)

The hardening of a tissue or part due to chronic inflammation.
A thickening or hardening of a body part or system especially from excessive formation of fibrous interstitial or glial tissue.
Any of various diseases characterized by thickening or hardening, such as arteriosclerosis.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
FEEDBACK