Blackheads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition involving hair follicles that are clogged with sebum and dead skin, resulting in small dark spots on the skin's surface due to oxidation
2. These dark spots are formed when hair follicles become blocked by oil and dead skin cells, leading to a noticeable darkened appearance from exposure to air
3. A skin condition characterized by the blockage of hair follicles, where oil and dead skin cells accumulate, resulting in small dark spots due to oxidation

Etymology: The word is a plain compound: "black" joined to "head," with the sense "head" meaning the head-like top of a pimple or spot. The "black" part comes from Old English "blæc," which goes back to a Proto-Germanic root "blakaz," and "head" comes from Old English "hēafod," descended from a Proto-Germanic form "haubudą." Both elements are native English words that have been part of the language since the earliest recorded period, so nothing here was borrowed from a foreign tongue. The image behind the name is the visible dark tip of a clogged follicle. Sebum and dead skin fill the pore, and when the material at its opening is exposed to air it darkens through oxidation, so the plug looks like a small black head sitting on the skin. Because the compound is transparent, English speakers could read its meaning straight off the parts, which is why it has stayed unchanged in form.

Synonyms: comedones, clogged pores