carbuncle

English

Wikipedia

Noun

carbuncle (plural carbuncles)

1. (archaic) A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.
   • 1602. Hamlet by William Shakespeare, act 2 scene 2 line 401:

     With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus...

   • 1611. Old Testament, King James Version, Isaiah 54:12:

     And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

2. An abscess larger than a boil, usually with one or more openings draining pus onto the skin. It is usually caused by bacterial infection.
3. (heraldry) A charge or bearing supposed to represent the precious stone, with eight sceptres or staves radiating from a common centre; an escarbuncle.

Translations

precious stone

• Bulgarian: гранат (bg) (granat) m
• German: Karfunkel (de) m

• Old French: carbuncle m
• Spanish: carbunclo (es) m, carbúnculo (es) m

abscess

• Bulgarian: цирей (bg) (cirej) m
• Dutch: karbonkel (nl) m

• German: Karbunkel (de) m
• Scottish Gaelic: neasgaid (gd) f

See also

• ruby

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Old French

Noun

carbuncle m (oblique plural carbuncles, nominative singular carbuncles, nominative plural carbuncle)

1. carbuncle