Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

canker

 - 7 dictionary results

can⋅ker

[kang-ker]
–noun
1. a gangrenous or ulcerous sore, esp. 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, esp. in woody stems.
4. something that corrodes, corrupts, destroys, or irritates.
5. Also called canker rose. British Dialect. dog rose.
–verb (used with object)
6. to infect with canker.
7. to corrupt; destroy slowly.
–verb (used without object)
8. to become infected with or as if with canker.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE cancer < L cancer; see cancer


4. blight, cancer, scourge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To canker
can·ker   (kāng'kər)   
n.  
  1. Ulceration of the mouth and lips.

  2. An inflammation or infection of the ear and auditory canal, especially in dogs and cats.

  3. A condition in horses similar to but more advanced than thrush.

    1. A localized diseased or necrotic area on a plant part, especially on a trunk, branch, or twig of a woody plant, usually caused by fungi or bacteria.

    2. Any of several diseases of plants characterized by the presence of such lesions.

  4. A source of spreading corruption or decay.

v.   can·kered, can·ker·ing, can·kers

v.   tr.
  1. To attack or infect with canker.

  2. To infect with corruption or decay.

v.   intr.
To become infected with or as if with canker.

[Middle English, from Old English cancer and from Old French cancre, both from Latin cancer, crab, malignant disease; see kar- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

canker 
O.E. cancer, from L. cancer (see cancer); influenced in M.E. by O.N.Fr. cancre . The word was the common one for "cancer" until c.1700.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: can·ker
Pronunciation: 'ka[ng]-k&r
Function: noun
1 a (1) : an erosive or spreading sore (2) obsolete : GANGRENE b : CANKER SORE
2a : a chronic inflammation of the ear in dogs, cats, or rabbits; especially : a localized form of mange b : a chronic and progressive inflammation of thedeep horn-producing tissues of the frog and sole of the hooves of horses resulting in softening and destruction of the horny layers
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

canker can·ker (kāng'kər)
n.

  1. Ulceration of the mouth and lips.

  2. An acute inflammation or infection of the ear and auditory canal, especially in dogs and cats.

  3. Cancrum.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Bible Dictionary

Canker

a gangrene or mortification which gradually spreads over the whole body (2 Tim. 2:17). In James 5:3 "cankered" means "rusted" (R.V.) or tarnished.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

canker

disease of plants that is caused by numerous species of fungi and bacteria. Symptoms include round-to-irregular, sunken, swollen, flattened, or cracked, discoloured, and dead areas on the stem (cane), twig, limb, or trunk. Cankers may enlarge and girdle a twig or branch, killing the foliage beyond it. They are most common on plants weakened by mechanical, winter, or insect injury; drought; nutritional imbalances; nematodes; and root rot.

Learn more about canker with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see canker on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: