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gan·grene

(gănggrēn′, găng-grēn)

Death and decay of body tissue, often in a limb or digit, caused by insufficient blood supply to the affected area as a result of injury, infection, or disease, and commonly classified as wet (when bacterial infection is involved) or dry (when infection is not a significant factor).

tr. & intr.v. gan·grened, gan·gren·ing, gan·grenes

To affect or become affected with gangrene.

[Medieval Latin cancrēna, from Latin gangraena, gangrēna, from Greek gangraina.]

gangre·nous (gănggrə-nəs) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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