carcomer

v.

1 to eat away at (also figurative).

Esta duda carcome mi mente This doubt eats away at my mind.

2 to corrode, to gnaw, to bite, to eat away.

El mar carcome la madera The sea corrodes the wood.

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carcomer

► verbo transitivo

1 (roer) to eat away

2 figurado (salud) to undermine, eat away at; (envidia etc) to eat up, consume

■ aquella enfermedad fue carcomiendo su salud that illness undermined his health

■ le carcomen los celos he is consumed with jealousy

► verbo pronominal carcomerse

1 figurado to be consumed (de, with), be eaten up (de, with)

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1. VT

1) [+ madera] to eat into, eat away

2) [+ salud] to undermine

2.

See:

carcomerse

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verbo transitivo

a) carcoma to eat away (at)

el marco está totalmente carcomido — the frame is completely worm-eaten

b) <salud> to undermine

los celos/la envidia le carcomían — he was eaten up o consumed with jealousy/envy

es una duda que me carcome — it is something that constantly preys on my mind

un vicio que carcome las bases de nuestra sociedad — a vice which eats away at the fabric of our society

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= corrode, gnaw (at), consume, eat away at.

Ex. At times, however, stresses on the system, whether caused by internal or external forces, threaten to corrode the ethical boundaries.

Ex. The rugby league is increasingly beset by a financial reward system that gnaws at its prime resource -- the players.

Ex. Her eyes were dry and her head bleary from spending all week totally consumed with work.

Ex. Rather than catalog departments going out of business, they could turn their attention once again to cataloging special local materials, eating away at store-rooms of uncataloged materials, and making their collections as a whole more responsive to their local constituency.

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verbo transitivo

a) carcoma to eat away (at)

el marco está totalmente carcomido — the frame is completely worm-eaten

b) <salud> to undermine

los celos/la envidia le carcomían — he was eaten up o consumed with jealousy/envy

es una duda que me carcome — it is something that constantly preys on my mind

un vicio que carcome las bases de nuestra sociedad — a vice which eats away at the fabric of our society

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= corrode, gnaw (at), consume, eat away at.

Ex: At times, however, stresses on the system, whether caused by internal or external forces, threaten to corrode the ethical boundaries.

Ex: The rugby league is increasingly beset by a financial reward system that gnaws at its prime resource -- the players.

Ex: Her eyes were dry and her head bleary from spending all week totally consumed with work.

Ex: Rather than catalog departments going out of business, they could turn their attention once again to cataloging special local materials, eating away at store-rooms of uncataloged materials, and making their collections as a whole more responsive to their local constituency.

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carcomer [E1 ]

vt

1

«carcoma»: la pata de la mesa está totalmente carcomida the table leg is completely worm-eaten o is riddled with woodworm

2 «cáncer» to riddle

el cáncer le ha carcomido los pulmones his lungs are riddled with cancer

3 «envidia» to consume

los celos le carcomían las entrañas he was eaten up o consumed with jealousy

es una duda que me carcome it is something that constantly preys on my mind

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carcomer (conjugate carcomer) verbo transitivo

a) [carcoma] to eat away (at);

◊ el marco está carcomido the frame is worm-eaten

b) ‹salud› to undermine;

◊ la envidia lo carcomía he was eaten up with envy

carcomer verbo transitivo to eat away (at): el odio le carcome, he's eaten up with hatred

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carcomer

♦ vt

1. [madera] to eat away at

2. [persona] to eat away at;

la enfermedad está carcomiendo su salud the sickness is eating away at his health;

le carcome la envidia he's eaten up with envy;

me carcome una duda there's a doubt niggling away at me

♦ See also the pronominal verb carcomerse

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carcomer

v/t eat away; fig : de envidia eat away at, consume

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carcomer vt

: to eat away at, to consume