Cicatricles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to small scars, particularly those that form as a result of healing after a wound or injury
2. Describing tiny marks left on the skin from the healing process; these may indicate previous damage or other skin conditions
3. The plural of a term that indicates minor scarring; these marks can be a sign of past trauma or skin repair following injury

Etymology: "Cicatricles" is the plural of "cicatricle," a term for a small scar. The singular traces back through French "cicatricule" to Latin "cicatricula," meaning "a small scar," itself a diminutive of "cicatrix," the Latin word for a scar. The Latin diminutive ending "-cula" is what shrinks the meaning: a cicatrix is a scar, and a cicatricula is a little one. The root "cicatrix" is the more familiar of the pair, having given English the adjective "cicatricial," used of tissue that forms scar tissue as a wound heals. "Cicatricle" keeps the same core idea but narrows it to the fine, minor marks left behind after healing.