chancre

UK: /ˈʃæŋkə/ US: (shang′kər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

chan•cre  (shang′kər), n. [Pathol.]

1. Pathology the initial lesion of syphilis and certain other infectious diseases, commonly a more or less distinct ulcer or sore with a hard base.

• Middle French Latin cancrum, accusative of cancer cancer
• 1595–1605

chan′crous, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chancre / ˈʃæŋkə/ noun

1. a small hard nodular growth, which is the first diagnostic sign of acquired syphilis

Etymology: 16th Century: from French, from Latin: cancer

ˈchancrous adjective