canker

canker
I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French cancre, chancre, from Latin cancer crab, cancer Date: before 12th century 1. a. (1) an erosive or spreading sore (2) an area of necrosis in a plant; also a plant disease characterized by cankers b. any of various disorders of animals marked by chronic inflammatory changes 2. archaic a caterpillar destructive to plants 3. chiefly dialect rust 1 4. a source of corruption or debasement 5. chiefly dialect dog rosecankerous adjective II. verb (cankered; cankering) Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. obsolete to infect with a spreading sore 2. to corrupt the spirit of intransitive verb 1. to become infested with canker 2. to become corrupted

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Canker — and anthracnose are general terms for a large number of different plant diseases, characterised by broadly similar symptoms including the appearance of small areas of dead tissue, which grow slowly, often over a period of years. Some are of only… …   Wikipedia

  • Canker — Can ker (k[a^][ng] k[ e]r), n. [OE. canker, cancre, AS. cancer (akin to D. kanker, OHG chanchar.), fr. L. cancer a cancer; or if a native word, cf. Gr. ? excrescence on tree, ? gangrene. Cf. also OF. cancre, F. chancere, fr. L. cancer. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Canker — Can ker (k[a^][ng] k[ e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cankered} ( k[ e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Cankering}.] 1. To affect as a canker; to eat away; to corrode; to consume. [1913 Webster] No lapse of moons can canker Love. Tennyson. [1913 Webster] 2. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Canker — Can ker, v. i. 1. To waste away, grow rusty, or be oxidized, as a mineral. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Silvering will sully and canker more than gliding. Bacom. [1913 Webster] 2. To be or become diseased, or as if diseased, with canker; to grow… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • canker — [kaŋ′kər] n. [ME < OFr cancre < L cancer: see CANCER] 1. an ulcerlike sore, esp. in the mouth: thought to be an immune reaction: cf. COLD SORE: also canker sore 2. a) a disease of plants that causes local decay of bark and wood b) a… …   English World dictionary

  • canker — O.E. cancer, from L. cancer (see CANCER (Cf. cancer)); influenced in M.E. by O.N.Fr. cancre (Mod.Fr. chancre). The word was the common one for cancer until c.1700. Canker blossom is recorded from 1580s …   Etymology dictionary

  • canker — [n] blistered infection bane, blight, blister, boil, cancer, corrosion, corruption, lesion, rot, scourge, smutch, sore, ulcer; concept 306 canker [v] blight, corrupt animalize, bestialize, consume, corrode, debase, debauch, demoralize, deprave,… …   New thesaurus

  • canker — ► NOUN 1) a destructive fungal disease of trees that results in damage to the bark. 2) an open lesion in plant tissue caused by infection or injury. 3) fungal rot in parsnips, tomatoes, or other vegetables. 4) an ulcerous condition in animals,… …   English terms dictionary

  • canker — index decay, degenerate, infect, pervert Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • canker — /kang keuhr/, n. 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… …   Universalium

  • canker — [[t]kæ̱ŋkə(r)[/t]] cankers 1) N COUNT A canker is something evil that spreads and affects things or people. [FORMAL] As in Europe, the canker of anti Semitism is growing again in America. Syn: cancer 2) N VAR Canker is a disease which affects the …   English dictionary

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