keratosis nigricans

9.9

A skin condition that causes dark, rough patches in body folds

noun
/ˌkɛrəˈtoʊsɪs ˌnɪɡrɪˈkænz/

Specialized

: queratosis nigricans

The dermatologist diagnosed him with keratosis nigricans after examining the darkened areas under his arms.

Examples

Treatment of underlying health conditions may improve the appearance of keratosis nigricans in some patients.
Because keratosis nigricans can sometimes signal more serious issues, any new skin changes should be evaluated.
She was diagnosed with keratosis nigricans last year.
What is keratosis nigricans?
The dermatologist diagnosed him with keratosis nigricans after examining the darkened areas under his arms.
Because keratosis nigricans can sometimes signal more serious issues, any new skin changes should be evaluated.
Treatment of underlying health conditions may improve the appearance of keratosis nigricans in some patients.

Synonyms

acanthosis nigricans

vskeratosis nigricans

Specialized

1 9.6

Dark, thick, velvety patches on the skin that appear in body folds like the neck or armpits

is dark patches with a rough wart like surface rather than velvety

Surface Forms

keratosis nigricans singular

keratosis nigricanses plural

Morphology

keratosis + nigricans

Although 'keratosis' (skin overgrowth) is interpretable, the second constituent 'nigricans' is a specialized Latin-derived element that is not defined in the entry and would not be known to an average B1 learner. Because the compound relies on medical/Latin roots and domain knowledge to yield the specific sense 'dark, wart-like patches,' its meaning cannot be reliably derived from the parts by B1 learners, so it is opaque.

Etymology

Keratosis nigricans comes from old Greek and Latin words: keratosis means 'horn' or thick, hard skin and nigricans means 'black'. So the name describes dark, thick skin patches, which is why it is used for that skin condition.