Standard Lemma guide

gangrene

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɡæŋˌɡɹiːn/ without æ-raising
  • [ˈɡæŋˌɡɹwɪi̯n] without æ-raising
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, US: /ˈɡeɪ̯ŋˌɡɹin/
  • Canada, US: [ˈɡeɪ̯ŋˌɡɹwɪi̯n]
  • Canada, US: /ˈɡɛ̃ŋˌɡɹin/
  • Canada, US: [ˈɡɛ̃ŋˌɡɹwɪi̯n]
  • CMU ARPABET: G AE1 N G R IY0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The necrosis and rotting of flesh, usually caused by lack of blood supply.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • If gangrene sets in, we may have to amputate the foot.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sphacel

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A damaging or corrupting influence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To produce gangrene in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To be affected with gangrene.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To corrupt; To cause to become degenerate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: necrosis, mortification, sphacelus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: death

Narrower terms: myonecrosis

7

noun

Meaning 7

necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sphacelus, slough

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pathology

Narrower terms: dry gangrene, cold gangrene, mumification necrosis, mummification, gas gangrene, clostridial myonecrosis, emphysematous gangrene, emphysematous phlegmon, gangrenous emphysema, gas phlegmon, progressive emphysematous necrosis

8

verb

Meaning 8

undergo necrosis

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the tissue around the wound necrosed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: necrose, mortify, sphacelate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: waste, rot

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French gangrène, from Latin gangraena, from Ancient Greek γάγγραινα (gángraina, “gangrene”).

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: kouevuur — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Albanian: gangrenë — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Albanian: gjall ngrënia — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Arabic: آكِلَة (ʔākila) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Arabic: غَنْغْرِينَة (ḡanḡrīna) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Arabic: غَرْغْرِينَا (ḡarḡrīnā) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Armenian: գանգրենա (gangrena) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Basque: haratustel — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Belarusian: гангрэ́на (hanhréna) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Bulgarian: гангре́на (gangréna) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Chinese Cantonese: 壞疽 /坏疽 (waai6 zeoi1) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Chinese Mandarin: 壞疽 /坏疽 (huàijū) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Czech: gangréna — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Czech: sněť — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Danish: koldbrand — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Danish: gangræn — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Dutch: gangreen — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Dutch: koudvuur — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Esperanto: gangreno — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Faroese: kolubrandur — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Finnish: kuolio — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Finnish: gangreeni — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • French: gangrène — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Georgian: განგრენა (gangrena) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • German: Gangrän — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • German: Wundbrand — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • German: Brand — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Greek: γάγγραινα (gángraina) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Ancient Greek: γάγγραινα (gángraina) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Ancient Greek: σφάκελος (sphákelos) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Hindi: कोथ (koth) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Hungarian: gangréna — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Hungarian: üszkösödés — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Icelandic: ýldudrep — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Icelandic: átudrep — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Icelandic: brandur — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Icelandic: kolbrandur — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Icelandic: drep í holdi — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Indonesian: gangren — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Italian: cancrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Japanese: 壊疽 (eso) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Kazakh: гангрена (gañrena) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Khmer: ដំបៅរលួយ (dɑmbaw rɔɔrɔluəy) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Korean: 회저 (hoejeo) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Latin: gangraena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Macedonian: гангре́на (gangréna) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Māori: kikohunga — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Marathi: कोथ (koth) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Mongolian: үхжил (üxžil) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Navajo: naałdzid — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Navajo: iʼniiyą́ą́ʼ — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Nepali: सइनको घाउले (sainko ghāule) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Norwegian Bokmål: koldbrann — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gangren — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kaldbrann — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: gangren — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Persian: قانقاریا (qânqâriyâ) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Polish: zgorzel — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Polish: gangrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Portuguese: gangrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Romanian: cangrenă — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Russian: гангре́на (gangréna) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Serbo-Croatian: гангрена — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Serbo-Croatian: gangrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Slovak: gangréna — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Slovene: gangrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Spanish: gangrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Spanish: noma — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Spanish: cangrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Swedish: kallbrand — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Swedish: gangrän — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Tagalog: ganggrena — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Tibetan: འདྲུལ་བ ('drul ba) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Turkish: kangren — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Ukrainian: гангре́на (hanhréna) — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Vietnamese: bệnh thối hoại — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Welsh: madredd — the necrosis or rotting of flesh
  • Spanish: necrosar — to produce gangrene in
  • Spanish: gangrenarse — to be affected with gangrene
  • Spanish: agangrenarse — to be affected with gangrene
  • Spanish: necrosarse — to be affected with gangrene
  • Spanish: esfacelarse — to be affected with gangrene
  • Spanish: cangrenarse (disused) — to be affected with gangrene
Real reading context

gangrene in complete knowledge articles