What does wart mean?
A wart is a small, rough growth on the skin, most often produced by human papillomavirus. Common warts often appear on the hands or fingers, while plantar warts develop on the soles of the feet. Although they are usually harmless, warts can be painful, irritating, or persistent. The word also has a figurative meaning: it can describe an unattractive feature, persistent flaw, or troublesome feature in a person, place, institution, or object. In this sense, it often carries a mildly critical or derogatory connotation. “Warts and all” is a familiar expression meaning that someone is accepted despite their imperfections. Although a wart is physically small, the word is useful because it can move easily between literal description and figurative judgment, capturing the idea of a conspicuous flaw that seems integral to something larger.
nounA small, rough, usually harmless growth on the skin, commonly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). By extension, an unattractive flaw or troublesome feature in a person, place, or thing.
- A small, rough growth on the skin, especially on the hands or feet, commonly caused by human papillomavirus.
- An unattractive flaw, blemish, or troublesome feature in a person, place, or thing.
"The doctor assured her that the wart on her thumb was benign."
"The doctor assured her that the wart on her thumb was benign."
"His one glaring wart as a politician was his tendency to ignore inconvenient questions."
The standard plural is used for multiple skin growths or for multiple figurative flaws.
"The warts on her hands disappeared gradually over several months."
A common wart is often the visible handiwork of HPV—a virus leaving a small, rough calling card on the skin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wart come from?
The English noun comes from Old English wyrte, which continued an inherited Germanic word with relatives represented by Old Norse varta and German Warze. In medical Latin, verruca denotes a wart or wart-like growth and gave rise to English forms such as verrucous and verrucosity. The word therefore links familiar English skin-growth terminology with a long-established tradition of medical description.
Related word forms
How wart is actually used
The word is normally countable. Its figurative use is informal and often derogatory, especially when applied to a person's appearance or character; the medical sense is neutral.
Easily confused with wart
A mole is a pigmented lesion made from melanocytes, whereas a wart is a usually rough, virus-caused growth of skin.