To cause gangrene in; to affect with gangrene or a condition of tissue death.
From 'gangrene' + Latin suffix '-ate' (to make or cause). Gangrene itself comes from Greek 'gangraina,' literally meaning 'eating sore,' from 'gra' (to gnaw).
Medieval doctors used this term when they realized infections could spread through living flesh, and sometimes they'd have to amputate limbs to prevent the gangrene from reaching the heart—a grim but life-saving procedure.
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