# corn (on one's foot)



## Encolpius

Hello, I have learnt recently that *corn *is called *魚の目* in Japanese. Its literal meaning is: *"fish eye"*. We call it "*chicken eye*" in Hungarian, Czech and German. What other interesting word for corn do you know? Colloquial, slang terms are welcome. Encolpius.


----------



## Panceltic

Kurje oko in Slovenian  (hen’s eye)


----------



## apmoy70

Nothing fancy in Greek I'm afraid, it's just a:

(1) *«Κάλος»* [ˈka.lo̞s̠] (masc.) < Byz.Gr *«κάλλος» kállos* (masc.) < It. callo < Lat callum.
or a,
(2) *«Τύλος»* [ˈt̠i.lo̞s̠] (masc.) < Classical masc. noun *«τύλος» túlŏs* & fem. *«τύλη» túlē* --> _bulge, callosity, pad, cushion_ (with obscure etymology).

(1) is what we use in every-day language, (2) is more "formal" (Katharevousa) & medical jargon.


----------



## Yendred

In French, it's called _œil-de-perdrix_ (literally "_partridge eye"_).


----------



## סייבר־שד

Here in Mexico we call it just like the Japanese: *ojo de pescado *(= fish eye).


----------



## alfaalfa

Yendred said:


> In French, it's called _œil-de-perdrix_ (literally "_partridge eye"_).


The same in Italian
_Occhio di pernice_


----------



## Welsh_Sion

Same as English in Cymraeg/Welsh, I'm afraid, but as Enco likes to see the pronunciation (and I'd be loath to allow him to pronounce the Welsh with an English accent), *corn *is /korn/ in Welsh, *not */kɔ:n/.

A homophone also means 'horn' or 'trumpet', but I don't think we can apply this to a callus.

(PS If you ever start a thread on 'wart', then I might have something more interesting for you, @Encolpius!)


----------



## Penyafort

Encolpius said:


> We call it "*chicken eye*" in Hungarian, Czech and German. What other interesting word for corn do you know? Colloquial, slang terms are welcome. Encolpius.





Yendred said:


> In French, it's called _œil-de-perdrix_ (literally "_partridge eye"_).





alfaalfa said:


> The same in Italian
> _Occhio di pernice_



Interestingly, Catalan here goes with Hungarian, Czech and German instead of its Romance sisters.

*ull de poll* [uʎdə'poʎ] (literally, 'eye of chick')


----------



## Encolpius

It's really interesting you say "eye of chick" in Catalan. Do you know the Spanish word for it?


----------



## Awwal12

Russian doesn't seem to differentiate a corn and a callus in general (мозоль /mozol'/).


----------



## Abaye

Hebrew: I don't think we have a word for this. Well, for sure we have, I mean we don't have a word that anyone really uses.

The closest I can think of is יבלת _yabbelet_ but this means _wart_, not _callus_ or _corn_.
Funnily, having no words in the language, I find it hard to tell the difference between these things.


----------



## Naniyeller

Spain:
- Ojo de gallo ('o xo ðe 'ɣa ʎo).
(cock's eye máaas o menos).


----------



## apmoy70

Abaye said:


> Hebrew: I don't think we have a word for this. Well, for sure we have, I mean we don't have a word that anyone really uses.
> 
> The closest I can think of is יבלת _yabbelet_ but this means _*wart*_, not _callus_ or _corn_.
> Funnily, having no words in the language, I find it hard to tell the difference between these things.


We call that a *«ρόζος»* [ˈɾo̞.z̠o̞s̠] (masc.) < Byz.Gr *«ῥόζος» rhózos* (masc.), an Ancient Greek word *«ὄζος» ózos* (masc.), contaminated with the word for _root_, *«ῥίζα» rʰíză* (fem.) > Byz.Gr *«ῥίζα» rhíza* (fem.) > MoGr *«ρίζα»* [ˈɾi.z̠a] (fem.).
The difference between the two (from painful personal experience) is that a _wart_ on a finger, or a toe is superficial, not so painful and is easily removable, while a callus/corn has deep roots (no pun intended) inside the skin and is removed either surgically, or with patience by applying a solution of fluorouracil + salicylic acid. It takes a couple of months to remove it.


----------



## Armas

In Finnish it's *liikavarvas*, from Swedish _liktå_. The _tå_ "toe" was translated (_varvas_), but the _lik_ was not and was replaced by Finnish _liika_- which means "excess". Thus it is understood as "excess toe" despite making little sense.


----------



## Panceltic

Awwal12 said:


> Russian doesn't seem to differentiate a corn and a callus in general (мозоль /mozol'/).


 
This exact word is used for a pimple/acne in Slovenian.


----------



## hui

Armas said:


> In Finnish it's *liikavarvas*, from Swedish _liktå_. The _tå_ "toe" was translated (_varvas_), but the _lik_ was not and was replaced by Finnish _liika_- which means "excess". Thus it is understood as "excess toe" despite making little sense.


According to _Suomen etymologinen sanakirja_, it is from Swedish _liktorn_ (_torn_ = thorn).


----------



## Penyafort

Encolpius said:


> It's really interesting you say "eye of chick" in Catalan. Do you know the Spanish word for it?





Naniyeller said:


> Spain:
> - Ojo de gallo ('o xo ðe 'ɣa ʎo).
> (cock's eye máaas o menos).



To be honest, I had never heard _ojo de gallo_ before. I've always called them _callos_ in Spanish.


----------



## raamez

In Arabic (Syria) we call a corn مسمار لحم flesh nail. In MSA a wart is called ثؤلول thu'luul, corn is thafan ثفن and callus (not the bone callus) is shathan شثن. Bone callus is dushbuth دشبذ.


----------



## סייבר־שד

Penyafort said:


> To be honest, I had never heard _ojo de gallo_ before. I've always called them _callos_ in Spanish.


Neither had I! The RAE dictionary lists all three, though: *ojo de gallo*, *ojo de pescado *and *ojo de pollo*, but about the second one it says it refers to a _"flat and circular-shaped wart that usually grows on the hands"_, definitely not what we'd usually think about around here!



Yendred said:


> In French, it's called _œil-de-perdrix_ (literally "_partridge eye"_).





alfaalfa said:


> The same in Italian
> _Occhio di pernice_


Upon closer inspection of the dictionary, it turns out we have our own *ojo de perdiz *in Spanish, but apparently it has nothing to do with calluses, warts or anything of the sort; rather, it's used about a particular needlework technique, or about certain dark spots in wood knots that may be the sign of fungus.


----------



## apmoy70

raamez said:


> In Arabic (Syria) we call a corn مسمار لحم flesh nail. In MSA a wart is called ثؤلول thu'luul, corn is thafan ثفن and callus (not the bone callus) is shasan شسن. *Bone callus* is dushbuth دشبذ.


That's a *«κότσι»* [ˈko̞.t̠͡s̠i] (neut.) < Byz.Gr *«κότσι(ο)ν» kótsi(o)n* --> _(cut of meat) knuckle, shank, ham bone; bunion_, neuter diminutive of the Koine masc. noun *«κόττος» kóttŏs* & *«κοττός» kŏttós* --> _rooster, cock_; the name reflects the bird's appearance: «..καὶ οἱ ἀλεκτρυόνες κοττοὶ διὰ τόν ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ λόφον» - "..and the cocks (are called) kŏttoì for the crests of tufts on their heads" < Classical 3rd declension feminine noun *«κοττίς/κοττίδος» kŏttís* (nom. sing.)/*kŏttídŏs* (gen. sing.) --> _hairdress with long hair on the forehead, (Doric) head_, possibly related to the name of a cup with two handles = masculine noun *«κότταβος» kóttăbŏs*, Ionic *«κόσσαβος» kóssăbŏs* (the original meaning of κότταβος/κόσσαβος is unknown, philologists compare it with the shape and name of human head, κοττίς; etymologically speaking, the variation -ττ-/-σσ- points to a Pre-Greek substratum).
«Κόττος» > «κότσι(ο)ν» after a Late Byzantine/MoGr linguistic phenomenon called _tsitakism_ (the affrication of velar or dental stops before front vowels).


----------



## Ghabi

Team Poultry +1
Cantonese: gai1aan5 雞眼 "chicken-eye"


----------



## merquiades

Learning a lot of words in every language.  I always called them _calluses_ in English.


----------

