Historical reference: Do not rely on this information. It is very old. About this collection
Cicatrix (Lat. cicatrix, a scar), a scar. When an ulcerated surface heals there is a development of what is called scar tissue, or cicatrical tissue, and the process is termed cicatrisation. In the case of a skin wound the epithelium grows and extends so as to cover the site of injury, but the normal appearance is never completely regained, and a scar, or cicatrix, remains to mark the situation of the original breach of surface. The tissue of the scar beneath the epithelium is eminently liable to undergo contraction, thus leading in some instances to the production of serious deformity.