aphthous ulcer
- noun
- /ˈæfθəs ˈʌlsər/
- Specialized
:
úlcera aftosa
- After eating spicy food, he noticed an aphthous ulcer forming on his gums.
Examples
-
An aphthous ulcer that has formed on the uvula can also cause swelling and discomfort.
Blog text (23) -
She developed an aphthous ulcer on the inside of her cheek, making it difficult to eat.
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On hospital day 2, a maculopapular rash erupted over the patient's trunk (Figure 1, panel A), several small aphthous ulcers appeared on her soft palate, and she had mild diarrhea.
Academic text (2014) -
The dentist explained that an aphthous ulcer can be quite painful but usually heals on its own.
Synonyms
81
3.7
A painful sore on the skin or inside the body that can make pus
5
8.8
A small painful sore inside the mouth or on the lip
4
3.9
A small painful area inside the mouth or on the lip
1
7.0
An open sore on the skin or in the mouth that hurts and often looks red
A small, painful sore or blister inside the mouth often white
Antonyms
How Painful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'aphthous' means 'characterized by small ulcers in the mouth' and 'ulcer' is a 'sore', so their combination denotes a specific kind of sore — a compositional, adjective + noun description. Although medical/technical, the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituent meanings and follows standard English composition, so a learner who knows both words would understand it.
Etymology
Aphthous ulcer comes from older words: aphthous comes from an old Greek word for a small 'sore' and ulcer means a painful 'sore'. So the name paints the image of a small painful mouth sore, which is why it refers to a 'canker sore' today.