canker

can·ker

an ulcerlike sore, esp. in the mouth: thought to be an immune reaction
also canker sore
1. a disease of plants that causes local decay of bark and wood
2. a diseased area of woody tissues
Obs. cankerworm
anything that corrupts or gradually destroys
Now Dial. the dog rose

Origin of canker

Middle English from Old French cancre from Classical Latin cancer: see cancer

to attack or infect with canker
to infect or debase with corruption

to become cankered

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"canker." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 22 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Canker>.

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canker. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22nd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Canker

canker

noun

Ulceration of the mouth and lips.
An inflammation or infection of the ear and auditory canal, especially in dogs and cats.
A condition in horses similar to but more advanced than thrush.
a. 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.
b. Any of several diseases of plants characterized by the presence of such lesions.
A source of spreading corruption or decay.

verb

can·kered, can·ker·ing, can·kers

verb

transitive

To attack or infect with canker.
To infect with corruption or decay.

verb

intransitive

To become infected with or as if with canker.

Origin of 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.

canker

canker on a rose stem

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"canker." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 22 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Canker>.

APA Style

canker. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22nd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Canker

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural cankers)

(botany) A plant disease marked by gradual decay.
A corroding or sloughing ulcer; especially a spreading gangrenous ulcer or collection of ulcers in or about the mouth.
Anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroys.
A kind of wild rose; the dog rose.
An obstinate and often incurable disease of a horse's foot, characterized by separation of the horny portion and the development of fungoid growths. Usually resulting from neglected thrush.
An avian disease affecting doves, poultry, parrots and birds of prey, caused by Trichomonas gallinae.
An obstinate and often incurable disease of a horse's foot, characterized by separation of the horny portion and the development of fungoid growths; usually resulting from neglected thrush.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present cankers, present participle cankering, simple past and past participle cankered)

To affect as a canker; to eat away; to corrode; to consume.
To infect or pollute; to corrupt.
(intransitive) To waste away, grow rusty, or be oxidized, as a mineral.
To be or become diseased, or as if diseased, with canker; to grow corrupt; to become venomous.

Origin

Middle English canker, cancre, Old English cancer, akin to Dutch kanker, Old High German chanchar. From Latin cancer (“a cancer”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"canker." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 22 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Canker>.

APA Style

canker. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22nd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Canker

canker - Medical Definition

n.

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

v.