We have completed maintenance on DiscoverMagazine.com and action may be required on your account. Learn More

Delineations: Plaque

Mar 31, 2005 6:00 AMNov 12, 2019 6:24 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

As often happens, the meaning of this word changed as it migrated from one language to another. Originally it was a small 15th-century Flemish coin, a placke. Then the French borrowed it to describe thin, flat patches, badges, or slabs, and later on the English twisted the meaning to denote ornamental plates, tablets, and awards that can be hung on a wall—a term still in use today. In the late 19th century, biologists started using plaque to mean a thin patch of cells. It is now generic for a growth on the skin or a deposit on a mucous surface, such as the wall of an artery. However, it is most recognized in dentistry as the clear mass of microorganisms that colonize teeth and lead to cavities and gum disease. In recent years the word also became associated with Alzheimer’s, the degenerative brain disease. Those plaques are dense deposits of protein and other cell material that attach themselves to and eventually kill neurons responsible for memory and decision making. Computer users have co-opted the term as well: We now have keyboard plaque to describe the gunk that accumulates on electronic equipment.

1 free article left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

1 free articleSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.