canker

[ kang-ker ]

/ ˈkæŋ kər /

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noun

a gangrenous or ulcerous sore, especially in the mouth.

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

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

something that corrodes, corrupts, destroys, or irritates.

Also called canker rose .British Dialect. dog rose.

verb (used with object)

to infect with canker.

to corrupt; destroy slowly.

verb (used without object)

to become infected with or as if with canker.

OTHER WORDS FOR canker

4 blight, cancer, scourge.

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Origin of canker

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

Words nearby canker

canine tooth, caning, Canis Major, Canis Minor, canister, canker, cankered, cankerous, cankerroot, canker sore, cankerworm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use canker in a sentence

Dr. Walsh informed me that he deemed it excellent for canker in the ear, but of that I have had no experience.
Our Cats and All About Them|Harrison Weir
Thou eating canker-worm, that preyest upon the opening bud, and turnest the damask-rose into livid yellowness!
Clarissa, Volume 6 (of 9)|Samuel Richardson
The canker eat into the rose—soiled and marred its perfectness—chipped and wasted its beauty—but could not destroy its perfume!
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 1, April, 1851|Various
A fallacy, a canker at the heart of our social fabric today, is that the daily task is something to be rid of.
Euthenics, the science of controllable environment|Ellen H. Richards

The extravagant and imprudent conduct of his sons also acted as a canker upon his heart.
Secret History of the Court of England, from the Accession of George the Third to the Death of George the Fourth, Volume I (of 2)|Lady Anne Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for canker

canker

/ (ˈkæŋkə) /

noun

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

vet science

a disease of horses in which the horn of the hoofs becomes soft and spongy
an inflammation of the lining of the external ear, esp in dogs and cats, resulting in a discharge and sometimes ulceration
ulceration or abscess of the mouth, eyelids, ears, or cloaca of birds

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

something evil that spreads and corrupts

verb

to infect or become infected with or as if with canker

Word Origin for canker

Old English cancer, from Latin cancer crab, cancerous sore

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

canker

OTHER WORDS FOR canker

Origin of canker

Words nearby canker

Words related to canker

How to use canker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for canker

Word Origin for canker