wen

Pronunciation: /wɛn/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a common cyst of the skin; filled with fatty matter (sebum) that is secreted by a sebaceous gland that has been blocked

Etymology

From Middle English wen, wenne, from Old English wenn, wænn (“wen”), from Proto-Germanic *wanjaz. Cognate with Dutch wen (“goiter”), Low German Ween (“wen”), dialectal German Wenne (“wen”), Danish van, væne.

In classic literature

Synonyms

sebaceous cyst, pilar cyst, steatocystoma

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
cyst
Narrower (hyponyms)
chalazion

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