See Also: Callous(medicine)
callous(dictionary)
callous(dictionary)

callous (iou)



callous adjective, noun, & verb. LME.
[(French calleux from) Latin callosus, from callum, -us hardened skin: see -OUS.]
A. adjective.
Chiefly of the skin or other tissue: hardened, indurated, esp. by continual friction; naturally hard. LME.
W. Congreve With labouring callous hands.
fig. Hardened in feeling etc.; insensitive, unfeeling. L17.
Arnold Bennett He had shown a singular, callous disregard for the progress of the rest of the house. H. T. Lane Hardened in wrongdoing and callous to all good influence.
b. noun. = CALLUS 1. M17.
C. verb trans. Make callous, harden. Chiefly calloused ppl adjective. Cf. CALLUS verb. M19.
callously adverb L19.
callousness noun (a) callous quality or condition; esp. callous behaviour, insensitivity; (b) a callosity: M17.