ulcer
UK /ˈʌlsə/ · US /ˈʌlsɚ/ noun, verb
Forms ulcers ulcering ulcered
- noun (pathology) An open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection.
- noun (pathology) Peptic ulcer.
- noun (figurative) Anything that festers and corrupts like an open sore; a vice in character.
- verb To ulcerate.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Old French ulcere, from Latin ulcus. Doublet of ulcus.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A solution of continuity in any of the soft parts of the body, discharging purulent matter, found on a surface, especially one of the natural surfaces of the body, and originating generally in a constitutional disorder; a sore discharging pus. It is distinguished from an abscess, which has its beginning, at least, in the depth of the tissues.
- noun Fig.: Anything that festers and corrupts like an open sore; a vice in character. Cold ulcer (Med.), an ulcer on a finger or toe, due to deficient circulation and nutrition. In such cases the extremities are cold.
- verb To ulcerate. [R.] Fuller.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ulcer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details