carbuncle

English

Etymology

From , from Latin carbunculus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːbʌŋkəl/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːɹbʌŋkəl/

Noun

carbuncle (plural carbuncles)

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

     With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus […]

   • 1611, Bible (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.

   • 1634, Thomas Herbert, A Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile, Begunne Anno 1626. Into Afrique and the Greater Asia, especially the Territories of the Persian Monarchie: And some Parts of the Orientall Indies, and Iles Adiacent. Of their Religion, Language, Habit, Discent, Ceremonies, and other Matters Concerning Them: Together with the Proceedings and Death of the Three Late Ambassadours: Sir D. C[otton] Sir R. S[herley] and the Persian Nogdi-Beg: As also the Two Great Monarchs, the King of Persia, and the Great Mogol, London: Printed by William Stansby, and Iacob Bloome, →OCLC; republished as William Foster, editor, Travels in Persia 1627–1629. Abridged and Edited by Sir William Foster [...] with an Introduction and Notes (Broadway Travellers), London: G. Routledge & Sons, 1928, →OCLC, page 79:

     His turban, or mandil [mandīl], was of finest white silk interwoven with gold, bestudded with pearl[s] and carbuncles; […]

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

Related terms

• carbon

Translations

precious stone

• Bulgarian: гранат m (granat)
• Danish: karfunkel c
• Dutch: karbonkel (nl) m
• Erzya: мазыкев (mazikev)
• French: carboucle (fr) f
• German: Karfunkel m
• Hebrew: נֹפֶךְ (he) m (nófech)
• Irish: carrmhogal m
• Malay: batu merah
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Manx: carbuncle m
• Maori: kapakara
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: karfunkel (no) m

• Old French: carbuncle m
• Scottish Gaelic: càrrmhogal m
• Spanish: carbunclo (es) m, carbúnculo (es) m
• Welsh: carbwncl m

abscess

• Bulgarian: цирей (bg) m (cirej)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 癰／痈 (zh) (yōng), 痈 (zh) (yōng)

• Danish: brandbyld c, byld c
• Dutch: karbonkel (nl) m
• Finnish: ajospahka
• German: Karbunkel (de) m
• Greek: ψευδάνθρακας (el) m (psevdánthrakas)
• Irish: carrmhogal m, carbuncal m
• Japanese: 癰 (ja) (よう, yō)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kazakh: көршиқан (körşiqan)
• Latin: carbunculus m
• Malay: bisul
• Manx: pluccan mooar m
• Maori: tāpoa, maiao
• Mi'kmaq: glmuej anim
• Russian: карбункул (ru) m (karbunkul)
• Scottish Gaelic: neasgaid f
• Swedish: böld (sv) c
• Welsh: carbwncl m, cornwyd m

See also

• ruby

Further reading

• carbuncle (gemstone) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• carbuncle (heraldry) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• carbuncle (pathology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• carbuncle (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Old French

Alternative forms

• charbuncle

Etymology

Borrowed from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin carbunculus.

Noun

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

1. carbuncle (deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone)