carbuncle
noun
[ ˈkɑːbʌŋk(ə)l ]
• a severe abscess or multiple boil in the skin, typically infected with staphylococcus bacteria.
Similar:
boil,
blister,
sore,
abscess,
pustule,
pimple,
spot,
wart,
papule,
wen,
whitlow,
canker,
swelling,
lump,
growth,
outgrowth,
eruption,
infection,
inflammation,
plook,
vesication,
furuncle,
• a bright red gem, in particular a garnet cut en cabochon.
Origin:
Middle English (in carbuncle (sense 2)): from Old French charbuncle, from Latin carbunculus ‘small coal’, from carbo ‘coal, charcoal’.
