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Synonyms

caries

American  
[kair-eez, -ee-eez] / ˈkɛər iz, -iˌiz /

noun

  1. decay, as of bone or of plant tissue.

  2. dental caries.

caries British  
/ ˈkɛəriːz /

noun

  1. progressive decay of a bone or a tooth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
caries Scientific  
/ kâr′ēz /

  1. Decay of a bone or tooth. Dental plaque formed by bacteria initiates a progressive process of decay that, if left unchecked, leads to tooth loss.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of caries

First recorded in 1625–35, caries is from the Latin word cariēs decay

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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