phagedaena

/ ˌfædʒɪˈdiːnə /

noun

1. pathol a rapidly spreading ulcer that destroys tissues as it increases in size

Word History and Origins

Origin of phagedaena¹

C17: via Latin from Greek, from phagein to eat

Example Sentences

William discovered that dropsy may be due to a "durities renum"; he substituted the knife for the Arabist abuse of the cautery; he investigated the causes of the failure of healing by first intention; he described the danger of wounds of the neck; he sutured divided nerves; he forwarded the diagnosis of suppurative disease of the hip; and he referred chancre and phagedaena to "their proper causes."

From Project Gutenberg