A wart is a small, rough bump that grows on your skin, caused by a virus. Warts most commonly appear on hands and feet, though they can show up almost anywhere on your body. They feel hard and bumpy to the touch, with a texture like sandpaper, and often have tiny dark dots inside them (which are actually tiny blood vessels, not seeds as some people think).

Warts spread through direct contact. If you touch someone's wart and then touch your own skin, especially if you have a small cut or scratch, the virus can take hold and grow a new wart. They're usually harmless and painless, though warts on the bottom of your feet (called plantar warts) can hurt when you walk because your body weight presses on them.

Most warts eventually go away on their own as your immune system figures out how to fight the virus, though this can take months or even years. Doctors can remove stubborn warts by freezing them or using other treatments.

In fairy tales and folklore, witches are often depicted with warts on their noses or chins. This is pure fiction: warts have nothing to do with magic or evil, just an ordinary virus that happens to be quite common. The phrase warts and all means accepting something completely, including its flaws and imperfections.