canker

American  

[kang-ker] / ˈkæŋ kər /

noun

1. a gangrenous or ulcerous sore, especially in the mouth.

2. a disease affecting horses' feet, usually the soles, characterized by a foul-smelling exudate.

3. a defined area of diseased tissue, especially in woody stems.

4. something that corrodes, corrupts, destroys, or irritates.

   Synonyms:

   scourge, cancer, blight

5. Also called canker rose.  British Dialect. dog rose.

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verb (used with object)

1. to infect with canker.

2. to corrupt; destroy slowly.

verb (used without object)

1. to become infected with or as if with canker.

canker British  

/ ˈkæŋkə /

noun

1. an ulceration, esp of the lips or lining of the oral cavity

2. vet science

   1. a disease of horses in which the horn of the hoofs becomes soft and spongy

   2. an inflammation of the lining of the external ear, esp in dogs and cats, resulting in a discharge and sometimes ulceration

   3. ulceration or abscess of the mouth, eyelids, ears, or cloaca of birds

3. an open wound in the stem of a tree or shrub, caused by injury or parasites

4. something evil that spreads and corrupts

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verb

1. to infect or become infected with or as if with canker

Etymology

Origin of canker

before 1000; Middle English; Old English cancer < Latin cancer; cancer

Example Sentences

As humans, we are nothing if not fascinated by our own bodies, whether that’s picking a scab, prodding a canker sore or popping a pimple.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2024

We hadn’t thought much about this until last night when she mentioned that the canker sore outbreak started while she had COVID-19.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2023

“There is a canker that Miss Havisham has allowed, welcomed even, in her heartbreak and desire for revenge.”

From New York Times • Mar. 24, 2023

Instead of launching systemic reforms that could help head off moral injury, they’re offering “wellness solutions” such as massages and meditation tips, which can amount to putting a Band-Aid on a canker sore.

From Scientific American • Sep. 19, 2022

It spreads by means of spores, which are produced in the hundreds of millions in each canker.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• blight
• corrosion
• scourge