vernix caseosa

Noun

vernix caseosa (uncountable)

1. The waxy or "cheesy" white substance found coating the skin of newborn humans.
   • The protecting coat of vernix caseosa allows the skin to perform its office in utero, and at birth, when this coating is removed, the surface is found in a condition perfectly adapted to extrauterine existence. It is not probable that the vernix caseosa is necessary to facilitate the passage of the...1888 Austin Flint: A Text-book of human physiology
   • She rubbed his body with coconut oil to remove the vernix caseosa. A heavy coating of vernix caseosa, she told me later, is a sure sign that the couple have been having intercourse during the latter part of pregnancy, a practice she considers dangerous. She believes the white vernix caseosa to be...1983 Carol Laderman: Wives and Midwives: Childbirth and Nutrition in Rural Malaysia

   Synonyms:

   vernix, birthing custard