plica polonica

noun

A condition characterised by matted and unhygienic hair.

OriginLatin plica →
First used 17th c.
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Meanings

nounplica polonica (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountablemedicineA condition characterised by matted and unhygienic hair.First known use 17th c.

    And perhaps the very essence of the Plica Polonica may be the hairs growing hollow, and of an unnatural constitution.

    1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographica, section XXXII

Origin

  1. Latinplica“plica”
  2. Englishplica polonica

From Latin plica (“plica”) + feminine singular form of Polonicus (“Polish”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

plica polonica. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plica%20polonica

MLA

“plica polonica.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plica%20polonica. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plica polonica,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plica%20polonica.

Source: plica polonica on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.