SEBUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sebum mean? 

• SEBUM (noun)
  The noun SEBUM has 1 sense:

1. the oily secretion of the sebaceous glands; with perspiration it moistens and protects the skin

  Familiarity information: SEBUM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SEBUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The oily secretion of the sebaceous glands; with perspiration it moistens and protects the skin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("sebum" is a kind of...):

secretion (a functionally specialized substance (especially one that is not a waste) released from a gland or cell)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sebum"):

smegma (a white secretion of the sebaceous glands of the foreskin)

Derivation:

sebaceous (containing an unusual amount of grease or oil)

 Context examples 

Substances that control the excessive secretion of sebum, the oily secretions from sweat glands.

(Antiseborrheic Agent, NCI Thesaurus)

A sebaceous gland in the eyelid that produces a specific type of sebum.

(Meibomian Gland, NCI Thesaurus)

A distinctive characteristic of the skin marked by the amount of sebum secreted by sebaceous glands.

(CDISC SDTM Skin Type Terminology, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)