Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Decay of a bone or tooth, especially dental caries.
- noun Instances of such decay, especially dental cavities.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A destructive disease of bone, causing a friable condition and worm-eaten appearance, attended with suppuration. It is probable that several distinct pathological processes lead to this morbid condition.
- noun A disease of the teeth, resulting in the disintegration of their substance and the formation of cavities. In man and carnivorous animals it is supposed to be caused by one of the bacteria, Leptothrix buccalis. See
Leptothrix . - noun In botany, decay of the walls of the cells and vessels.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Med.) Ulceration of bone; a process in which bone disintegrates and is carried away piecemeal, as distinguished from
necrosis , in which it dies in masses.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The progressive
destruction ofbone ortooth bydecay
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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His father knew Iranian government officials back years ago. .still to this day I bet you the name caries respect over in the middle east.
Candidate Websites and the First Quarter Reporting Deadline Overton, Spencer 2007
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While poor diet and oral hygiene play a role, cavities are actually caused by a disease called caries, which is five times more common than asthma, Dr. Riggins said.
QCOnline Metro News 2009
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All cavities are symptoms of a bacterial infection called dental caries, which is the most common disease of childhood.
You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010
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All cavities are symptoms of a bacterial infection called dental caries, which is the most common disease of childhood.
You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010
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All cavities are symptoms of a bacterial infection called dental caries, which is the most common disease of childhood.
You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010
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All cavities are symptoms of a bacterial infection called dental caries, which is the most common disease of childhood.
You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010
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In this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the results of dental caries, which is the most common dental disease, in order to document changing patterns of health and diet ranging from the transitional period of huntinggathering through agriculture to the present day in human history in Anatolia.
Nutrition and health in agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. 2009
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The teeth are interesting in showing marked rotting or "caries," hitherto unknown in prehistoric skulls.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4) A Plain Story Simply Told J. Arthur Thomson 1897
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In proximal cavities attacked by this kind of caries, separate freely on the lingual side, and fill with tin.
Tin Foil and Its Combinations for Filling Teeth Henry Lovejoy Ambler 1883
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The developers say that small areas of decay, or "caries", can be treated early before they develop into cavities, sparing the patients more invasive treatment and discomfort.
sionnach commented on the word caries
God help me, but I can't stop!
Lines composed while brushing and flossing
If you should suffer from the caries,
Which often times cause for despair is,
Fear not for here in Buenos Aires,
The quality of dental care is
Very good, a thing that rare is
But not down here in Buenos Aires
The dentists, like benign tooth fairies
Will save your teeth from Raton Perez.
Cancel your trip to the Canaries!
And come on down to Buenos Aires.
September 29, 2009
bilby commented on the word caries
Doggerel rots your teeth.
September 29, 2009
hernesheir commented on the word caries
The singular of caries rhymes well with lots of other words... "Have at it", as my Father would say.
September 29, 2009
knitandpurl commented on the word caries
"The dentist and I sat in his dusty surgery under a diorama of curiously garish posters depicting dental caries."
Psychogeography by Will Self, 93
October 16, 2010