Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæ-lês]
Definition: (1) Having calluses hence hardened and thickened. (2) Feeling no emotion or having no sympathy for others.
Usage: You might subtly go back to the original source by saying, "I don't mean to be thin skinned, but your constant harping leaves me callous." Then, you might follow it up by saying, "On second thought, I guess I'm being thick skinned because my ears developed a callus from your constant harping."
Suggested Usage: Take care not to confuse the adjective callous with the noun, callus "a hard, thickened area on skin or bark." Although not common, both forms can also function as verbs: callous "to make or become callous," and callus "to develop hardened tissue."
Etymology: Not surprisingly, both "callous" and "callus" descend from the same source, Middle French calleux, from Latin callosus, in turn, from callus "hard skin." The difference in spelling is attributable to the fact that -ous is typically an adjectival ending.
0 评论:
发表评论