warty

Warty is an English adjective used to describe something that has or resembles a wart: a small, raised, rough bump on a surface. It can describe skin lesions, animal hides, or botanical textures that show wart-like projections.

In medical contexts, warts refer to benign skin growths caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Warts can occur on various parts of the body, with common warts (verruca vulgaris), plantar warts on the feet, and flat warts among the identified types. Warts are contagious through direct contact and sometimes shared surfaces. Many resolve on their own over time, but treatments are available, including keratolytic creams, cryotherapy, and minor surgical procedures.

Outside medicine, the term is used descriptively for living and nonliving things. In zoology and everyday language, warty describes animals with rough, bumpy skin, such as toads, whose skin often appears textured and wart-like. Some reptiles or other creatures may also be described as warty. In botany, warty can describe plant surfaces bearing small nodules or projections on seeds, fruits, or stems, giving a textured, wart-like appearance.

The etymology of warty follows from the noun wart, with the suffix -y forming an adjective that denotes characteristic quality. The word has long-standing usage in English to convey both literal and figurative sense of wart-like texture. See also wart, verruca, and verrucous.