canker
canker Lexical Profile
canker Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An ulcerous sore or open lesion, especially in the mouth or on the lips (often called a canker sore), or an inflammation of the ear or hoof in domestic animals.
"A painful canker on the inside of her cheek made it difficult to eat acidic foods."
A destructive fungal or bacterial plant disease that causes sharply defined areas of dead, sunken, or cracked bark on the stems, twigs, or trunks of trees and shrubs.
"The orchard lost several mature apple trees to a severe outbreak of fungal canker."
A corrupting, malign, or destructive influence that spreads gradually and is difficult to eradicate.
"Unchecked bribery had become a canker at the heart of the municipal administration."
• verb
To infect, consume, or corrupt with a destructive sore, plant disease, or moral decay.
"Years of bitter resentment had begun to canker his once generous spirit."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'canker' with 'chancre', a painless ulcer associated specifically with syphilis, even though both words share the same Latin root as 'cancer'.
• Rhymes for canker
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old Northern French 'cancre', from Latin 'cancer' (meaning 'crab' or 'malignant tumor'), which is a doublet of 'cancer' and 'chancre'.