carious

[kair-ee-uhs]

adjective

1. having caries, as teeth; decayed.

carious

/ ˌkɛərɪ-, ˈkɛərɪˌəʊz, ˈkɛərɪəs, ˌkærɪˈɒsɪtɪ /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• cariosity noun
• cariousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of carious¹

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

Example Sentences

But another type of problem, carious lesions or cavities, has been found more often in fossilised teeth.

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The carious or necrotic process may extend to the mastoid cells.

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The bone itself was become carious, and she found it necessary to have the flesh cut open to allow fragments of the bone to come out.

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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.

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Only the fungused brain and carious mouth Of senile things could shape such thought....

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Related Words

• contaminated www.thesaurus.com
• disagreeable 
• fetid 
• moldy 
• musty 
• polluted 
• putrid 
• smelly 
• soured www.thesaurus.com
• stale 
• tainted