Definition

1. Noun:
   • A primary lesion or sore: A chancre is a small, firm, typically painless ulcer that develops at the point where a pathogen, such as the bacterium that causes syphilis, enters the body. It is a hallmark sign of primary syphilis infection.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The doctor identified the painless ulcer as a chancre, indicating a possible syphilis infection.
  • A chancre usually appears about three weeks after exposure to the bacteria.

Advanced Usage

• "Hunterian chancre": A historical term named after surgeon John Hunter, specifically referring to the syphilitic chancre.
  • The 19th-century medical text described the characteristics of the Hunterian chancre.

Variants and Related Words

• Chancroid (noun): A different type of genital ulcer caused by the bacterium . It is often painful, unlike a syphilitic chancre.
  • The painful sore was diagnosed as a chancroid, not a syphilitic chancre.

Synonyms

• Primary sore: A general term for the initial lesion of an infection.
• Syphilitic ulcer: A more specific term for a chancre caused by syphilis.

Related Phrases

• Hard chancre: Another name for the typical, firm syphilitic chancre.
  • The presence of a hard chancre is a key diagnostic sign.
• Soft chancre: An outdated term sometimes used for chancroid, highlighting the difference in texture from a syphilitic chancre.

Noun

1. a small hard painless nodule at the site of entry of a pathogen (as syphilis)