ulcer

IPA/ˈʌlsə(r)/
KK[ˈʌlsɚ]IPA/ˈʌlsər/

ulcer — noun

  • ulcersingular
  • ulcersplural

1. a painful raw patch — either on a person's skin or inside an organ such as the s

1.nounB2
Definition

a painful raw patch — either on a person's skin or inside an organ such as the stomach or mouth — where the surface tissue has worn through and will not heal by itself without treatment.

Example

Selim was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer after months of burning pain.

collocation: stomach ulcer

The nurse cleaned the ulcer on the patient's leg and changed the bandage.

collocation: ulcer on [body part]

Common collocations
  • stomach ulcer
  • mouth ulcer
  • peptic ulcer
  • develop an ulcer
  • treat an ulcer
Synonyms
  • sore

    more general — any painful spot on the body, not necessarily a deep break

  • lesion

    medical term covering any abnormal tissue area, broader than ulcer

Grammar Patterns

a/an + ulcer

stomach/mouth + ulcer

Usage Note

Frequently combined with a body part to specify location: 'stomach ulcer', 'mouth ulcer', 'leg ulcer', 'peptic ulcer'. Countable — a person can have one or several.

Common Mistakes

I have a wound ulcer on my leg.
I have an ulcer on my leg.
'ulcer' already means the sore itself; 'wound ulcer' is redundant.

Word family

  • ulcerate
    verbC2
  • ulcerated
    adjectiveC2
  • ulceration
    nounC2
  • ulcerous
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe damaged areas of the body, but they differ in scope and register. A 'sore' is the everyday word for any painful spot on the skin or in the mouth and does not imply depth or chronic damage. A 'wound' is an injury usually caused by an outside force such as a cut, blow, or weapon, and it can heal cleanly. An 'ulcer' is more specific — it is a raw, persistent break in skin or mucous membrane that does not close on its own, often inside the stomach or on the legs of older patients. 'Lesion' is the most clinical term, used by doctors for any abnormal patch of tissue, including ulcers, but also tumors and rashes. So you might say 'My grandfather has a leg ulcer' but a doctor's chart would record it as a 'lesion of the lower limb'.

ulcer ↗sore ↗wound ↗lesion ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • stomach ulcer
  • mouth ulcer
  • peptic ulcer
  • leg ulcer
  • duodenal ulcer

Phrases

  • develop an ulcer
  • treat an ulcer
  • bleed from an ulcer
  • heal an ulcer

Prepositions

  • ulcer on
  • ulcer in
  • ulcer inside

Etymology

GreekLatinMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'ulcus' (genitive 'ulceris'), meaning a sore or open wound. The word came into English in the late 14th century through medical Latin, originally used in surgical texts before passing into general use. Related to Greek 'helkos', also meaning sore or wound.