From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcankercan‧ker /ˈkæŋkə $ -ər/ noun [countable, uncountable] 1 EFFECT/INFLUENCEan evil influence that spreads quickly among people and is difficult to destroy the canker of violence in modern society2 MIHBPa disease that affects trees or plants
Examples from the Corpus
canker• The yellow roots are said to make a bitter tea that stimulates the appetite and soothes cankers.• What is the scale of threat from this stem canker disease to the rape crops now drilled?• He was the weevil in the fruit, according to Rex, the canker in their midst.• Coming from her tight mouth, the county trilling on local lawlessness and moral decline made these cankers seem wholly benign.Origin canker (1300-1400) Old North French cancre, from Latin cancer; CANCER 