Etymology: Originally < classical Latin cancr-, cancer cancer n.; subsequently reinforced by Anglo-Norman cancre, cauncre, cankre, caunkre, cankur, kancre, kanker, kankur, kaunkir (also as chancre ) the constellation Cancer, the sign of the zodiac, abscess, ulcer, sore, tumour, carcinoma, canker worm, crab (13th cent. or earlier) and Old French, Middle French cancre, variant of Old French, Middle French chancre ulcer, sore, tumour, cancer, (also) gangrene (1st half of 13th cent. or earlier as chancre , in Middle French (16th cent.) also as cancre ; French chancre ; now usually in sense ‘sore or ulcer caused by an infectious disease’, especially with reference to venereal disease and thrush or aphtha: see chancre n.), crab (a1268 as cancre , 1314 as chancre ; French cancre ), the sign of the zodiac (apparently only as cancre ; in a 15th-cent. copy of a 13th-cent. work, subsequently from the 16th cent.; French † cancre ) < classical Latin cancer cancer n. Compare Old Occitan cancer (c1200; earliest with reference to the disease; Occitan càncer; earlier as cranc (late 12th cent.)), Catalan càncer (late 13th cent.; earliest with reference to the disease and the constellation), Spanish cancro (c1250; earliest with reference to the constellation), cáncer (1256; earliest with reference to the constellation; also as cancre, †cancrio), Portuguese cancer Cancer, sign of the zodiac; cancer, malignant tumour (13th cent.), cancro cancer, malignant tumour (14th cent. as cangro), Italian cancro (1282; earliest with reference to the constellation), canchero (14th cent.; earliest with reference to the disease), and also Middle Dutch canker, canckere (with reference to the animal and the disease; Dutch kanker), Middle Low German canker, cancer, cancher, canser (with reference to the disease and the constellation), and Old High German kancur (with reference to the disease; German Kanker kind of disease affecting trees; rare, probably obsolete); all < Latin (in Middle Low German partly also < French).Anglo-Norman cancre as a variant of Old French, Middle French chancre is the phonologically expected form in this dialect, due to a difference in development of initial ca- (in classical Latin cancer ), whereas Old French, Middle French cancre (except in northern texts) is due to partial Latinization of chancre . For fully Latinized forms in French see cancer n. It has been suggested that the Germanic words partly reflect an underlying vernacular word ultimately cognate with gangrene n. or conger n.¹, but the Greek words adduced in support of this theory present problems. The Old English form cancer is ambiguous as to the pronunciation of medial -c- and perhaps in some instances could be taken as representing earlier attestations of cancer n. In Old English also occasionally with Latin case inflections. French chancre is apparently not attested denoting diseases of plants (compare sense 5) until later than in English (1690). With sense 1d compare Middle French chancre kind of disease affecting the ears of dogs (1564 or earlier). With later use in sense 7b compare Cornish kankar (Old Cornish cancher ; perhaps < Latin). As plant name or plant name element (see sense 8 and also canker berry n., canker rose n., cankerweed n., cankerwort n. at Compounds 2) so used either on account of the medicinal use of the plant against ulcers or cancer (compare cancer n. 4) or on account of the plant's parasitic or ineradicable growth. In sense 8a after Latin herba cancri (1559 in the passage translated in quot. 1559 at sense 8a; earlier in a British glossary (a1500, glossed ‘camomile’)). Compare also post-classical Latin herba cancrosa plant thought useful in the treatment of cancer (1363 in Chauliac). With canker-eat vb. at Compounds 2, canker-eaten at Compounds 1, compare cankerfret v., cankerfret adj.

Etymology: < canker n.In form chencride after Middle French chancre (see canker n. and compare chancre n.); perhaps compare the Middle French variant chencre (1480 in an apparently isolated attestation).