Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A circumscribed inflammation of the skin, forming a necrotic central core, and suppurating and discharging the core; a boil.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) A superficial, inflammatory tumor, suppurating with a central core; a boil.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a boil or infected, inflamed, pus-filled sore

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a painful sore with a hard core filled with pus

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin fūrunculus, knob on a vine that “steals” the sap, diminutive of fūr, thief (modeled on latrunculus, robber, diminutive of latrō, latrōn-, bandit); see bher- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

Comments

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  • sounds like a furry carbuncle,a boil that has burst and been left unattended so long that there is green mold growing on the edges...a condition one might wish to exist on auntie's hirsute husband perhaps...

    November 1, 2007