milium

noun

mil·​i·​um ˈmi-lē-əm How to pronounce milium (audio)
plural milia ˈmi-lē-ə How to pronounce milium (audio)

Examples of milium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Jump to: What are milia? Lisa Bain, Good Housekeeping, 31 Mar. 2023 To be clear, milia aren't dangerous or harmful, but some people might choose to get rid of them. Amanda Chan, Teen Vogue, 8 Oct. 2017 The good doctor uses a needle or small scalpel to create an opening in each milium, followed by tweezers to squeeze each one out — but that's not always enough. Marci Robin, Good Housekeeping, 19 Oct. 2017 While milia do indeed look like whiteheads, that's where most of the comparisons come to a halt. Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 19 Oct. 2017 Those are caused by cell overgrowth from the sweat glands — and not milia, like originally expected. Amanda Chan, Teen Vogue, 8 Oct. 2017 In older children and adults, milia can clear within a few months. Meredith Cohn, baltimoresun.com, 4 May 2017 In older children and adults, milia are typically associated with skin damage, including blistering, burns, skin resurfacing procedures, long-term use of steroidal creams/ointments and long-term sun damage. Meredith Cohn, baltimoresun.com, 4 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'milium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, millet — more at millet

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of milium was in 1807

Dictionary Entries Near milium

Cite this Entry

“Milium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milium. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

milium

noun
mil·​i·​um ˈmil-ē-əm How to pronounce milium (audio)
plural milia -ē-ə How to pronounce milium (audio)
: a small pearly firm noninflammatory elevation of the skin (as of the face) due to retention of keratin in an oil gland duct blocked by a thin layer of epithelium

called also whitehead

compare blackhead sense 1

More from Merriam-Webster on milium

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!