Meanings
- uncountablemedicineA skin sign often associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes exhibiting velvety, thickened, and darkened skin and skin tags, often occurring in skin folds and the axillae.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna skin disease characterized by dark wartlike patches in the body folds; can be benign or malignant
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinnigricans“blackish”
- Ancient Greekἄκανθος“thorny flower”
- Englishacanthosis nigricans
Via Latin ultimately from Ancient Greek ἄκανθος (ákanthos, “thorny flower”) + -ωσις (-ōsis, “state, abnormal condition, or action”) + Latin nigricans (“blackish”).
More words from Ancient Greek, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
acanthosis nigricans. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acanthosis%20nigricans
“acanthosis nigricans.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acanthosis%20nigricans. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acanthosis nigricans,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acanthosis%20nigricans.
Source: acanthosis nigricans on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.