English Explanatory Dictionary

carbuncle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.
  2. A charge or bearing supposed to represent the precious stone, with eight sceptres or staves radiating from a common centre; an escarbuncle.
  3. An abscess larger than a boil, usually with one or more openings draining pus onto the skin. It is usually caused by staphylococcal infection.
  4. An unpopular or ugly building; an eyesore.

Pronunciation

/ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/ /ˈkɑɹˌbʌŋ.kl̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vininn126-carbuncle.wav

Word forms

carbuncle carbuncles

Etymology

From Middle English carbuncle, charbocle, from Old French carbuncle, charbuncle, from Latin carbunculus (“a small coal; a reddish kind of precious stone; a kind of tumor”), diminutive of carbō (“a coal, charcoal”). Doublet of Garfinkel and Garfunkel.

Related words

carbon ruby

Derived words

carbuncled

Translations

Bulgarian: гранат Catalan: carboncle Danish: karfunkel Dutch: karbonkel Erzya: мазыкев French: carboucle Old French: carbuncle Galician: carbúnculo Georgian: ტოპაზი Old Georgian: ანთრაკი German: Karfunkel Ancient Greek: ἄνθραξ Hebrew: נֹפֶךְ Irish: carrmhogal Latin: carbunculus Malay: batu merah Manx: carbuncle Māori: kapakara Middle English: carbuncle Norwegian Bokmål: karfunkel Polish: karbunkuł Portuguese: granado oriental Scottish Gaelic: càrrmhogal Spanish: carbunclo Spanish: carbúnculo Welsh: carbwncl Yiddish: גאָרפֿינקל
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