Lentigos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of pigmented skin lesion characterized by small, brown spots often found in sun-exposed areas of the skin
2. These spots result from an increase in melanin and typically appear with age or sun exposure
3. Commonly known as age spots or liver spots, they are generally harmless and do not require treatment

Etymology: "Lentigos" is the plural of "lentigo," the medical term for a small brown spot on the skin, such as a freckle or age spot. The singular goes back to Latin, where "lentigo" meant freckles, and it is related to "lens," the Latin word for the lentil plant, since the flat, brown spots were thought to resemble lentil seeds in shape and colour. English borrowed the word directly from Latin rather than through French. Its earliest recorded appearance in English is in the plural form "lentigines" in Late Middle English, so the Latin plural arrived before the singular was commonly used in English. Medical writers still use "lentigines" and "lentigos" as plural forms.