Wart

Wart: A local growth of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) caused by a virus. The virus of warts (a papillomavirus) is transmitted by contact. The contact can be with a wart on someone else or one on oneself (autoinnoculation). Warts that occur on the hands or feet are called common warts. A wart on the sole of the foot is a plantar wart. Genital (venereal) warts are located on the genitals and are transmitted by sexual contact. The word "wart" is from Old English and far back as the 8th century referred to a wart. The medical name for a wart is "verruca", the Latin for wart. A common wart is a "verruca vulgaris". A wart in medicine is also sometimes called by its Spanish name, "verruga".