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carious

American  
[kair-ee-uhs] / ˈkɛər i əs /

adjective

  1. having caries, as teeth; decayed.


carious British  
/ ˌkɛərɪ-, ˈkɛərɪˌəʊz, ˈkɛərɪəs, ˌkærɪˈɒsɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. (of teeth or bone) affected with caries; decayed

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of carious

1520–30; < Latin cariōsus decayed, rotten, equivalent to cari ( ēs ) caries + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nuwer's so-called cavities, he concluded, had actually been "incipient carious lesions," a form of early stage decay that some dentists call "microcavities."

From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2011

But other experts are critical of the Diagnodent and other early detection devices because they identify areas on teeth that aren't actually carious lesions.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2011

But other experts are critical of the Diagnodent and other early-detection devices because they identify areas on teeth that aren’t actually carious lesions.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2011

Ms. Nuwer’s so-called cavities, he concluded, had actually been “incipient carious lesions,” a form of early-stage decay that some dentists call “microcavities.”

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2011

Roof of the Mouth.—Suppuration in the muco-periosteum of the palate is usually secondary to suppuration at the root of a carious tooth.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

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