Caries
/ˈkɛə.riːz/noun
Decay or rotting, especially of bone or teeth.
Did you know?In classical Latin, *caries* meant a kind of gnawing decay or rot, and the same root also gave English **carious**, the medical adjective for diseased, decayed tissue.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“to rub, scratch, gnaw, or cut”
Latin
Latin
caries
“rottenness, decay, especially of wood, bone, or teeth”
Late Latin
Latin
caries
“decay or corruption in bodily tissue”
Middle English
English
caries
“medical decay or rotting, especially of bone or teeth”
Modern English
English
caries
“tooth or bone decay”