gangrene

1 of 2

noun

gan·​grene ˈgaŋ-ˌgrēn How to pronounce gangrene (audio) gaŋ-ˈgrēn How to pronounce gangrene (audio)
ˈgan-ˌgrēn,
gan-ˈgrēn
1
: local death of soft tissues due to loss of blood supply
2
: pervasive decay or corruption : rot
moral gangrene
gangrenous adjective

gangrene

2 of 2

verb

gangrened; gangrening

intransitive verb

: to become gangrenous

Examples of gangrene in a Sentence

Noun When gangrene set in, the soldier's leg had to be amputated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If frostbite is not treated quickly, the frostbitten area turns black and dies (gangrene). Cara Beth Lee, Verywell Health, 4 Jan. 2024 Secondary Raynaud’s is rare and its symptoms can be more serious, including ulcers on fingers and gangrene, and medication is often necessary. Barbara Mantel, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2023 In the weeks since, Michael’s toes, an inch of his feet and his hands up to his forearms have been amputated because of dry gangrene — a consequence of sepsis that blocks blood flow to certain extremities. Maia Pandey, NBC News, 28 July 2023 Doctors made long cuts in his legs to prevent swelling and to keep his limbs from getting gangrene — which could lead to amputation. Alice Martins, Washington Post, 13 May 2023 There were reports in India suggesting that the virus was causing hearing loss, gangrene and other unusual symptoms, but scientists said an intense epidemic such as the one in India will tend to produce a spectrum of rare conditions, simply given the large number of infections. Stephen Fidler and Suryatapa Bhattacharya, WSJ, 18 June 2021 Poor circulation is a common problem and could lead to slower healing, ulcers, infections or tissue death (gangrene), which may require amputation. Elizabeth Woolley, Verywell Health, 28 May 2023 If the tissue has died, a process called gangrene, then the dead areas may have to be excised or amputated. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 3 Feb. 2023 Less than two months later, a resident whose leg had recently been amputated was taken from the nursing home, where he was found lying in feces, to a hospital, where nurses discovered maggots and gangrene in his leg, according to the police report obtained by NBC affiliate WMC. NBC News, 20 Dec. 2021
Verb
Infection set in, progressed to gangrene, and Daniels died from sepsis or blood poisoning. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Dec. 2023 The injury led to gangrene, and Bullock died during his amputation operation. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 27 June 2023 Parabiosis, the surgical linkage of circulatory systems, has had a mostly grisly history in humans—when it was tried as a desperate measure on terminal cancer patients, in 1951, a two-year-old boy lost part of his foot to gangrene—and in rodents, which resisted being conjoined. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2021 The circumstances of their deaths were grotesque: Woods succumbed to gangrene less than a month after he was booked into the facility; alcohol withdrawal behind bars claimed Listau’s life; and Jefferson died of complications from an untreated bowel obstruction. Connor Sheets | Csheets@al.com, al, 9 Dec. 2020 It is attached to a head and shoulders defined by orange and black ink that resembles a silken swath of tie-dye but also gangrene. Roberta Smith, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2023 Sepsis can travel within hours throughout the body, causing extremities to quickly gangrene and organs to fail. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 12 Jan. 2023 One imprisoned reporter lost his feet to frostbite and gangrene. Steve Kemper, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Nov. 2022 In the most extreme case, limbs that have succumbed to gangrene will be amputated. Natalie Stone, PEOPLE.com, 31 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gangrene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin gangraena, gangrēna, borrowed from Greek gángraina, apparently derivative (with -aina, as in phagédaina "cancerous sore") of a base gangr-, of uncertain meaning and origin; replacing earlier and Middle English cancrene, borrowed from Medieval Latin cancrēna, blend of gangrēna and cancer cancer

Note: The supposed connection between gángraina and the verb gráō, grân "devour" (dissimilated from reduplicated *gar-gr-?) is derivationally not very plausible; as with other words formed with the suffix -aina, gángraina may be of pre-Greek origin.

Verb

derivative of gangrene entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1597, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of gangrene was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gangrene

Cite this Entry

“Gangrene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangrene. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gangrene

1 of 2 noun
gan·​grene ˈgaŋ-ˌgrēn How to pronounce gangrene (audio)
ˈgan-;
gaŋ-ˈgrēn,
gan-
: the death of soft tissues in a local area of the body due to loss of the blood supply
gangrenous adjective

gangrene

2 of 2 verb
gangrened; gangrening
: to make or become diseased with gangrene

Medical Definition

gangrene

1 of 2 noun
gan·​grene ˈgaŋ-ˌgrēn How to pronounce gangrene (audio) gaŋ-ˈ How to pronounce gangrene (audio)
ˈgan-ˌ,
gan-ˈ
: local death of soft tissues due to loss of blood supply

gangrene

2 of 2 verb
gangrened; gangrening

intransitive verb

: to become gangrenous
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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