caries n 1: soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth [syn: {cavity}, {caries}, {dental caries}, {tooth decay}]
Carib \Car"ib\, n.; pl. {Caries}. [See {Cannibal}.] (Ethol.) A native of the Caribbee islands or the coasts of the Caribbean sea; esp., one of a tribe of Indians inhabiting a region of South America, north of the Amazon, and formerly most of the West India islands. [1913 Webster] Caribbean
Caries \Ca"ri*es\, n. [L., decay.] (Med.) Ulceration of bone; a process in which bone disintegrates and is carried away piecemeal, as distinguished from necrosis, in which it dies in masses. [1913 Webster]
27 Moby Thesaurus words for "caries": carrion, decay, decomposition, dry gangrene, dry rot, foulness, gangrene, gas gangrene, moist gangrene, mortification, necrosis, necrotic tissue, noma, putrefaction, putrescence, putridity, putridness, rancidity, rancidness, rankness, rot, rottenness, slough, sphacelation, sphacelus, spoilage, tooth decay