Meaning & use
keratinizing
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“keratinizing” is a form of “keratinize”.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Describes cells or tissue that are turning hard and tough as they fill with the protein keratin.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: keratinizing cells, not cells are keratinizing in this sense.
Patterns
- keratinizing epithelium
- keratinizing cells
The outer layer of skin is made of keratinizing cells.
Doctors examined the keratinizing tissue under a microscope.
Keratinizing epithelium covers areas exposed to friction.
verbtransitive or intransitive
The -ing form of keratinize: becoming or making something hard and horny through the buildup of keratin.
Grammar: Intransitive when cells change: the skin is keratinizing; transitive when something causes it.
Patterns
- cells are keratinizing
- keratinizing something
The cells are keratinizing as they move toward the skin surface.
Vitamin A deficiency can lead to the lining keratinizing abnormally.
Nails form by keratinizing cells at the base of the finger.
Word forms
| base form | keratinize |
|---|---|
| third person singular | keratinizes |
| past tense | keratinized |
Common combinations
- keratinizing epithelium
- The skin is covered by keratinizing epithelium.
- keratinizing squamous cells
- The report found keratinizing squamous cells in the sample.
- keratinizing process
- The keratinizing process takes about two weeks in skin.
- abnormally keratinizing
- Abnormally keratinizing tissue can block hair follicles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cornifying
- Means the same in biology but is more often used for skin and horns, and is less common overall.
- hardening
- Is general and can describe any material, while keratinizing names the exact keratin process.
- toughening
- Is everyday language for becoming tougher, with no reference to keratin.
Opposites
Word family
- keratin noun
- the tough protein in hair, nails and skin
- keratinization noun
- the process of becoming keratinized
- keratinized adjective
- turned hard by keratin
- keratinocyte noun
- a skin cell that makes keratin
Commonly confused: keratinizing or carotene?
keratinizing vs carotene
Carotene is an orange plant pigment found in carrots; keratin is a structural protein in skin and hair.
Practice
Keratinizing cells in the skin become ____.
Choose one answer.
Keratin builds up in these cells, making them tough and protective. The other options do not describe the process.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keratinizing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.