sclerosis

Sclerosis is a hardening of a cell wall or body tissues.

(noun)

An example of sclerosis is a rigid state of the knee due to thickening or hardening.

See sclerosis in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. scleroses

Bot. a hardening of the cell wall of a plant, usually by an increase of lignin
Med.
1. an abnormal hardening of body tissues or parts, esp. of the nervous system or the walls of arteries
2. a disease characterized by this

Origin: ME sclirosis < ML < Gr sklērōsis, a hardening < sklēros, hard: see sclera

See sclerosis in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. scle·ro·ses (-sēz)

a. A thickening or hardening of a body part, as of an artery, especially from excessive formation of fibrous interstitial tissue.
b. A disease characterized by this thickening or hardening.
Botany The hardening of cells by the formation of a secondary wall and the deposition of lignin.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English sclirosis

Origin: , from Medieval Latin sclīrōsis

Origin: , from Greek sklērōsis, hardening

Origin: , from sklēroun, to harden; see scleroma

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