A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Duritia,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. duritia, also durities,-ei (s.f.V), acc. sg. duritiem, abl. sg. duritie: hardness, q.v., as of stone; (esp. in medical language: induration, also in the plural; (of wine) hardness, harsh flaver, opp. suavitas; a severe mode of life, rigor, austerity; harshness, strictness, rigor; hardness, oppressiveness, severity” (Lewis & Short); (med.) durity (Eng.noun), a hardness, as a cancerous ‘lump’ in the breast.

Eng. Noun: induration, “Localized [abnormal] hardening of soft tissue of the body. The area becomes firm, but not as hard as bone” (RxList on-line July 2021); also a hardening, and sclerosis; induration,-onis (s.f.III), abl.sg. induratione.

- [Cucumis sativus] ad dolorem vel durities nervorum et ad podagras facit (pseudoGalen in Everett), it is effective for pain or hardness [i.e. indurations] of the ligaments and for gout.

- ad duritiem mammarum propter lactis coagulationem, lavetur locus bis de die (Ray), for hardness of the breasts due to coagulation [i.e. curdling] of the milk, the place may be bathed twice a day.

- antequam contumacis lentaeque durititae semina solo committat, aquam defundit in catinum, nitri modicum superfundit ac distabescere sinit (Ray), before he would commit seeds of resistant and persistent hardness to the soil, he pours out water into a [cooking-]pot, pours over [it] a little of natron and it is allowed to gradually soften.

- colore, statura et eximia praesertim duritie haec species a subsequentibus sejunta, by the color, stature and especially its extraordinary hardness this species is separated from the subsequent ones.

(in Galen) “It appears often in Galen as something to be mollified, softened, or loosened by the drug in question.” = Gk. sklEria, “likewise simply meaning ‘hardness,’ … used a number of different ways, ranging from breast carcinoma to calluses on the fingers” (Everett).

(in Pliny) “an induration, from whatever cause, in any part of the body” (Jones).