What does condylomata mean?
Condylomata is the plural of condyloma, a term for wart-like growths that develop on the skin and mucous membranes, most often in the genital and anal areas. The best-known type, condylomata acuminata or genital warts, is caused by infection with low-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) and is among the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. The word derives from Greek kondylos, meaning knuckle or knob, a nod to the rounded, lumpy appearance of the growths, and it entered medical usage through late Latin. Condylomata is strictly formal, clinical vocabulary: patients may say simply "warts," while physicians use the precise term in diagnoses, case reports, and treatment guidelines. Treatments range from topical agents to cryotherapy and surgical removal, and HPV vaccination has substantially reduced new cases. Knowing the word helps readers navigate medical literature and understand discussions of a very widespread condition without stigma or euphemism.
nounCondylomata is the plural of condyloma, referring to wart-like growths on the skin or mucous membranes, especially in the genital and anal regions; when caused by certain strains of human papillomavirus they are known as genital warts.
- Wart-like growths on skin or mucous membranes, especially in the anogenital region, typically caused by human papillomavirus (condylomata acuminata).
"The dermatologist explained that the patient's condylomata were caused by a low-risk strain of human papillomavirus."
"The clinic reported a rise in condylomata among young adults screened that year."
"Under colposcopy, the physician identified scattered condylomata along the cervical mucosa."
"Topical treatments can clear condylomata acuminata over several weeks of application."
Condylomata is itself the standard plural of the noun condyloma, formed on the Latinate pattern rather than with an English -s. The singular condyloma remains the usual form in everyday clinical speech, while the plural appears in formal and written medical usage.
"The examination revealed multiple perianal condylomata requiring treatment."
"Condylomata" comes from the Greek word for "knuckle" — doctors named these bumps after the knuckles of the fist because of their shape.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of condylomata
Condylomata derives from the Greek kondylōma, meaning a rounded swelling or knob-like growth, built on kondylos, "knuckle" or "knob." The term passed into medical Latin as condyloma before entering English in early modern medical writing, retaining its Latinate plural form condylomata alongside the singular condyloma. It shares this Greek root with the anatomical terms condyle and condyloid, which describe the smooth, rounded ends of bones at joints — a reminder that the same image of a rounded protrusion underlies both usages.
Related word forms
How condylomata is actually used
Strictly medical terminology, used almost exclusively by clinicians and in health literature rather than everyday conversation. As a Greek-derived plural, it retains the Latinized plural ending '-ata' rather than taking an English '-s'; clinicians usually prefer the singular 'condyloma' in casual speech but use 'condylomata' in formal writing. The term has no moral connotation itself — it names a common viral condition — though it appears most often in clinical, public-health, and sexual-health contexts.
Easily confused with condylomata
Condyloma is the singular form naming one such growth, while condylomata is its plural referring to multiple growths.
A condyle is a rounded bony prominence at a joint (as on the femur or mandible), whereas condylomata are soft wart-like growths of skin or mucous membrane.