tophus

[toh-fuhs]

noun

Pathology.

plural

tophi 

1. a calcareous concretion formed in the soft tissue about a joint, in the pinna of the ear, etc., especially in gout; a gouty deposit.

tophus

/ ˈtəʊfəs, təʊˈfeɪʃəs /

noun

1. Also called: chalkstone. pathol a deposit of sodium urate in the helix of the ear or surrounding a joint: a diagnostic of advanced or chronic gout

Other Word Forms

• tophaceous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tophus¹

1545–55; < Latin tōphus, tōfus tufa

Word History and Origins

Origin of tophus¹

C16: from Latin, variant of tōfus _tufa , _tuff

Example Sentences

This flux is composed of equal portions of iron slag, white tophus, and salt.

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If gout is untreated and the disease becomes advanced, deposits of urate crystals may form into nodules called tophi beneath the skin.

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Within six months of starting the treatments, the tophi on White's hands and legs had melted away, and she was able to resume a normal life.

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In clinical trials the drug worked for about 40 percent of patients, in some cases bringing marked improvement in dissolving unsightly and disabling lumps, called tophi.

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It is dissolved into ochre, and regenerated into tophus.

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