Warts Are Caused by a Virus, Not by Toads
A wart is a small hard growth on the skin. The folklore about toads is entirely wrong.
A wart is a small hard benign growth on the skin. Warts are caused by human papillomavirus, which infects skin cells and makes them multiply — nothing to do with toads, whose lumpy skin gave rise to the folklore. They frequently disappear on their own, which is why nearly every folk remedy has a record of apparent success. The phrase *warts and all* comes from Oliver Cromwell, who reportedly told his portraitist to paint him exactly as he was.
- A skin growth. *A wart on the hand.*
- A blemish. *Warts and all.*
- Verruca — a foot wart. *A verruca.*
- Warty. *Warty skin.*
- Old English — *wearte*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wart | A wart. |
| Plural | warts | Warts. |
| Adjective | warty | Warty. |
| Related | verruca | A verruca. |
| German | Warze | A wart. |
- A wart on his thumb.Skin.
- Warts and all.Idiom.
- Caused by a virus.Medicine.
Where warts and all comes from
- Oliver Cromwell sat for the painter Peter Lely
- He is said to have demanded to be painted exactly as he was
- Including roughnesses, pimples and warts
- The anecdote appears about a century after his death
- The phrase now means an unflattering full account
Old English *wearte*, of Germanic origin, related to German *Warze*.
Do toads cause warts?
No. Warts are caused by human papillomavirus. The folklore comes from the lumpy appearance of toad skin.
Why do folk remedies seem to work?
Because warts frequently vanish on their own, so almost any remedy can appear successful.