peau dʼorange

noun

peau dʼo·​range ˌpō-ˌdȯr-ˈänj 

medical

: thickened, dimpled skin that resembles the rind of an orange and is often associated with some forms of breast cancer

There was a mass, 6 to 7 cm in diameter, in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast … and the overlying skin had peau d'orange changes, without erythema.

—José Baselga et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 24 May 2012

And when a swelling stretches the skin so much that pores become visible, doctors call it peau d'orange, or "skin of an orange."

—Patricia Volk, New York Times, 19 Aug. 1990

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

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