ulcerate

American  

[uhl-suh-reyt] / ˈʌl səˌreɪt /

verb (used without object)

ulcerated, ulcerating

1. to form an ulcer; become ulcerous.

   His skin ulcerated after exposure to radioactive material.

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verb (used with object)

ulcerated, ulcerating

1. to cause an ulcer on or in.

   Continued worry ulcerated his stomach.

ulcerate British  

/ ˈʌlsəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to make or become ulcerous

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Other Word Forms

• ulceration noun
• unulcerated adjective

Etymology

Origin of ulcerate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ulcerātus (past participle of ulcerāre to make sore), equivalent to ulcer- ( ulcer ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To ulcerate is to fester, or to develop into a terrible, painful sore. Ouch! In medical terms, when a wound ulcerates, it doesn't heal, but becomes worse — red, open, painful, and sometimes infected. Skin can ulcerate, resulting in bedsores or canker sores in the mouth, and internal wounds can also ulcerate, forming what's known as an ulcer, or open sore. The Latin root of both words, ulcus, means "sore."

Example Sentences

The improvement didn't last long though, as the cornea began to cloud and ulcerate.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2015

The prison press must publish under conditions that would ulcerate an editor on the outside.

From Time Magazine Archive

It's just big happy crowds of harmless arty people expressing themselves and breaking a few pointless shibboleths that only serve to ulcerate young people anyway.

From Time Magazine Archive

In addition to being unsightly, they bleed freely when abraded, are liable to ulcerate from friction and pressure, and occasionally become the starting-point of melanotic cancer.

From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis

The primary growth may remain so small that its presence is not even suspected, or it may increase in size, ulcerate, and fungate.

From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis

Related Words

• smolder