“Carbuncles” is a form of
carbuncle
UK /ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/ · US /ˈkɑɹˌbʌŋ.kl̩/ noun
Forms carbuncles
- noun (archaic) A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.
- noun (heraldry) A charge or bearing supposed to represent the precious stone, with eight sceptres or staves radiating from a common centre; an escarbuncle.
- noun (pathology) An abscess larger than a boil, usually with one or more openings draining pus onto the skin. It is usually caused by staphylococcal infection.
- noun An unpopular or ugly building; an eyesore.
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A beautiful gem of a deep red color (with a mixture of scarlet) called by the Greeks anthrax; found in the East Indies. When held up to the sun, it loses its deep tinge, and becomes of the color of burning coal. The name belongs for the most part to ruby sapphire, though it has been also given to red spinel and garnet.
- noun A very painful acute local inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, esp. of the trunk or back of the neck, characterized by brawny hardness of the affected parts, sloughing of the skin and deeper tissues, and marked constitutional depression. It differs from a boil in size, tendency to spread, and the absence of a central core, and is frequently fatal. It is also called anthrax.
Etymology [L. carbunculus a little coal, a bright kind of precious stone, a kind of tumor, dim. of carbo coal: cf. F. carboncle. See Carbon.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “carbuncle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details