scabrous

/ˈskæbrəs/

Other forms: scabrously

The word scabrous can describe anything that's bumpy and coarse, like your pet iguana or the rough stucco walls in your parents' house.

The adjective scabrous is also used to describe things that are considered lewd or obscene, like a scabrous newspaper cartoon that manages to offend everyone who sees it. The Latin root, scaber, means "rough and scaly," and is closely related to scabere, "to scrape."

Definitions of scabrous

1. adjective

   rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf
   synonyms: lepidote, leprose, scaly, scurfy

   rough, unsmooth

   having or caused by an irregular surface
2. adjective

   dealing with salacious or indecent material
   “a scabrous novel”

   synonyms:

   dirty

   (of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency