scirrhous n.

"resembling or of the nature of a hard tumor," 1560s, from French scirrheux (16c., Modern French squirreux), from Modern Latin scirrhosus, from Latin scirros "a hard swelling, tumor," from Greek skirrhos "hard tumor, callus; hard, scrubby ground," related to skiros (adj.) "hard;" a word of unknown origin. Scirrhus "a hard tumor" is attested from c. 1600.