Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A lesion of the skin or a mucous membrane such as the one lining the stomach or duodenum that is accompanied by formation of pus and necrosis of surrounding tissue, usually resulting from inflammation or ischemia.
- noun A corrupting condition or influence.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To ulcerate. Fuller, Holy and Profane State, V. vi. 3.
- noun A sore in any of the soft parts of the body, open either to the surface or to some natural cavity, and attended with a secretion of pus or some kind of discharge; a solution of continuity of the skin of the body, or of the investing tissue of any natural cavity, the result of morbid action, not of mechanical injury nor of a healthy reparative process.
- noun Hence, figuratively, a sore, blot, stain, or cause of reproach, in an ethical sense: as, an ulcer of the body politic.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb rare To ulcerate.
- noun (Med.) 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.
- noun (Med.) an ulcer on a finger or toe, due to deficient circulation and nutrition. In such cases the extremities are cold.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun pathology An
open sore of theskin ,eyes ormucous membrane , often caused by aninitial abrasion and generallymaintained by aninflammation and/or aninfection .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word ulcer.
Examples
-
It may begin as a hard nodule, or as a papillary growth which breaks down on the surface, leaving a deep ulcer with a characteristically indurated base -- the _crateriform ulcer_.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. Alexander Miles 1893
-
But as with all his other symptoms, the ulcer was abnormal, as demonstrated by the glossy white molars sprouting in a clump from its center.
365 tomorrows » 2010 » February : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2010
-
At first, he thought his ulcer might be acting up, or maybe he had developed a bad case of heartburn.
-
This month they're being judged daily on their performance, using a volatility methodology known as the ulcer index, which balances their returns against the risks they incur.
-
The ulcer is a disease endemic in Southern Arabia; it is frequently fatal, especially to the poorer classes of operatives, when worn out by privation, hardship, and fatigue.
-
I'd spent a while visiting her in hospital earlier this year when the ulcer was acting up and there was a good chance they might have to amputate her leg.
One that had learned how to live. reynardo 2001
-
The fibre seems in color and texture to be in a normal condition; indeed, there appear to be little or no pathological symptoms about the parts at all, except a slight appearance of _vermillion_ inflammation over the surface of the ulcer, which is more apparent sometimes than others.
Official Report of the Niger Valley Exploring Party Martin Robinson Delany
-
This system of infidelity is well symbolized by a noisome, grevious ulcer, which is loathsome to the sight, offensive to the smell, corrupting to the body, and productive of awful pain.
-
It was stated that the ulcer was the result of the girl's stooping over some bushes to take an egg from a hen's nest, when the point of a palmetto stuck in her breast and broke off.
-
It was stated that the ulcer was the result of the girl's stooping over some bushes to take an egg from a hen's nest, when the point of a palmetto stuck in her breast and broke off.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.