noun
mortification
Death or decay of body tissue.
The surgeon checks the injured foot for signs of mortification.
Etymology
The Latin verb means to put to death. The medical sense applies that literal loss of life to a portion of body tissue.
More examples
- Severe frostbite can lead to mortification of exposed tissue.
- The report describes mortification around the wound.
- Loss of blood flow causes mortification in the damaged limb.
Forms
mortification