tophus

American  

[toh-fuhs] / ˈtoʊ fəs /

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.

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tophus British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• tophaceous adjective

Etymology

Origin of tophus

1545–55; < Latin tōphus, tōfus tufa

Example Sentences

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From New York Times

If gout progresses, crystals will form everywhere from the toes and elbows to the fingers, wrists and ears, in chalky white lumps called tophi.

From Washington Post

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.

From New York Times

It is dissolved into ochre, and regenerated into tophus.

From Project Gutenberg