gangrene
Syllables: gan·grene/ˈɡæŋˌɡɹiːn//ˈɡeɪ̯ŋˌɡɹin/
gangrene noun: the necrosis and rotting of flesh, usually caused by lack of blood supply.
Noun
gangrene (countable and uncountable, plural gangrenes)
- The necrosis and rotting of flesh, usually caused by lack of blood supply.
- If gangrene sets in, we may have to amputate the foot.
- Synonyms:
- sphacel
- A damaging or corrupting influence.
- Women should earn equal wages with men for equal work done. Child marriages and polygamy are a gangrene on society.1960, Cora Vreede-de Stuers, The Indonesian woman: struggles and achievements
Verb
gangrene (third-person singular simple present gangrenes, present participle gangrening, simple past and past participle gangrened)
- To produce gangrene in.
- Vulneration or section sometimes procures a Gangrene, when the vital Principle is so debilitated, or enormous by the would, that instead of a good suppuration and vigorous transmutation, a depraved matter is generated, which corrupts and gangrenes the part: and thus a small cut of a finger or Toe...1682, Pains afflicting humane bodies, their various Difference, Causes, Parts affected, Signals of Danger or Safety, page 204
- An intensely biting frost will gangrene the membrane ; a foggy state of the atmosphere, with low, black, stagnant exhalations, accompanied with sudden, frequent intermissions, interchanges, and oscillations of dryness and moisture, expansion and condensation, will corrupt and putrify both the...1762 December, John Chandler, “A Treatise of the Disease called a Cold”, in The critical review, or annals of literature, volume 12, page 423
- To be affected with gangrene.
- If a man had a sore leg, and he should go to an honest, judicious chirurgeon, and he should only bid him keep it warm, and anoint it with such an oil, (an oil well known) that would do the cure; haply he would not much regard him, because he knows the medicine, beforehand an ordinary medicine; but...1786, John Selden, Table Talk: Being the Discourses of John Selden
- The leg will gangrene if the superficial femoral vessels be torn.1911, British Medical Journal - Volume 1911, Issues 1-3, page 239
- To corrupt; To cause to become degenerate.
- That is true,” replied Almira, “nothing can be performed without labor, and where there is labor there will be discontent, and where there is no labor there will be heart-burning and jealousy about insignificant trifles, such as gangrenes the real pleasures of contemplation within these walls...1801, George Walker, The Three Spaniards
- The Stuart Restoration period was a necessary sequence of the Puritan period, and there is a similar cause for the sensualism that gangrenes the heart of our morbidly prudish Society of to-day.1889 July, John Miller, “The Abuse of Marriage”, in The Centennial Magazine: An Australian Monthly, volume 2, number 12, page 902
gangrene meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Kannada
gangrene in Hindi
- the necrosis or rotting of flesh
- कोथ koth
gangrene in Tamil
- திசு அழுகல், நுண்கிருமிகளால் அழுகிய தசை, அழுகல், செத்தை, செற்றது, திசு அழுகல் நோய்
gangrene in Marathi
- the necrosis or rotting of flesh
- कोथ koth
gangrene in Kannada
- ಕೊಳೆತ
More languagesFewer languages
- gangrene in Nepali
- सइनको घाउले sainko ghāule
- gangrene in Tagalog
- ganggrena
- gangrene in Arabic
- آكِلَة ʔākila, غَنْغْرِينَة ḡanḡrīna, غَرْغْرِينَا ḡarḡrīnā
- gangrene in Indonesian
- gangren
- gangrene in Persian
- قانقاریا qânqâriyâ
- gangrene in Vietnamese
- bệnh thối hoại
Examples of gangrene in a sentence
- For where it chances to be successful, it is like the copper shot of the Mexicans, which gangrenes the wound.1851 December, “The Wit and Wickedness of Sarcasm”, in The Ladies' Repository, volume 20, page 224:
- If not, the toe will gangrene and fall off.2005, Nikki Moustaki, Parrots For Dummies, page 282:
- The same delusion will gangrene England within the lifetime of most men of military age unless she will realize that gold is dross ; that her poets, her artists, and her scholars are her very soul.1930, P.R. Stephensen, The Legend of Aleister Crowley: A Study of the Facts:
Synonyms of gangrene
Forms of gangrene
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | gangrenes |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | gangrenes |
| present participle | gangrening |
| past participle | gangrened |
| past | gangrened |
Origin of gangrene
Borrowed from French gangrène, from Latin gangraena, from Ancient Greek γάγγραινα (gángraina, “gangrene”).
Words formed from gangrene
Questions about gangrene
- What does gangrene mean?
- Gangrene means the necrosis and rotting of flesh, usually caused by lack of blood supply.
- What is gangrene in Hindi?
- Gangrene in Hindi is कोथ (koth). See Gangrene meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use gangrene in a sentence?
- For where it chances to be successful, it is like the copper shot of the Mexicans, which gangrenes the wound.
- What part of speech is gangrene?
- Gangrene can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce gangrene?
- Gangrene is pronounced /ˈɡæŋˌɡɹiːn/.
- What is the plural of gangrene?
- The plural of gangrene is gangrenes.
Words near gangrene in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: gangrene (page history and authors); gangrene (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); gangrene (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-gangrene.ogg.
Cite this entry: “gangrene.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gangrene. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.