fester

[fes-ter]

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verb (used without object)

to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.

to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh.

to putrefy or rot.

to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.

verb (used with object)

to cause to rankle: Malice festered his spirit.

noun

an ulcer; a rankling sore.

a small, purulent, superficial sore.

Origin of fester

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English festir, festre < Anglo-French, Old French festre < Latin fistula fistula (for -l- > -r- cf. chapter); (v.) Middle English festryn, derivative of the noun or < Old French festrir

Related formsun·fes·tered, adjectiveun·fes·ter·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fester

smolder, blister, chafe, aggravate, decay, gather, canker, gall, irk, maturate, ulcer, putrefy, suppurate, rot, rankle, ulcerate

Examples from the Web for fester

Contemporary Examples of fester

We denied them loans, closed them off in housing projects, redlined their neighborhoods, and left them to fester.
The Flaw in My Brother’s Keeper
Jamelle Bouie
February 28, 2014
I've tried to forget the grudges, the painful memories, the resentments I allowed to fester in my heart for so long.
How 'The Little Way of Ruthie Leming' Taught Me It's OK to Love My Hometown
Justin Green
April 10, 2013
But they will leave the country rudderless, the victory will be hollow, and the problems will be left to fester.
Ryan Budget Plan Sounds Good But Lacks Substance
Zachary Karabell
August 13, 2012
Jewish refugees were absorbed in Israel and the West; the Palestinians were left to fester in camps.
Denigrating Jewish Refugees
Lyn Julius
August 9, 2012
It is this length of time during which the allegations were allowed to fester that is so puzzling.
James Murdoch Lightly Grilled by Parliament on Phone Hacking
Geoffrey Robertson
November 11, 2011

Historical Examples of fester

Yet his heart still seemed to fester with the venom of the dagger.
Fancy's Show-Box (From "Twice Told Tales")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
I'd not ha' clinched the nail, if I saw it was goin' to fester you!
Luttrell Of Arran
Charles James Lever
As for the Tartar dead, they were left to fester on the field.
Historic Tales, Vol. 8 (of 15)
Charles Morris
Undercote, or undercoat; fester under the skin (coat is "cutis," skin).
Letters of Samuel Rutherford
Samuel Rutherford
Like the surgeon's ray on a fester, German light has played on the sore spots.
Our Part in the Great War
Arthur Gleason

British Dictionary definitions for fester

fester

verb

to form or cause to form pus

(intr) to become rotten; decay

to become or cause to become bitter, irritated, etc, esp over a long period of time; rankleresentment festered his imagination

(intr) informal to be idle or inactive

noun

a small ulcer or sore containing pus

Word Origin for fester

C13: from Old French festre suppurating sore, from Latin: fistula

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fester

late 14c., from Old French festre "small sore discharging pus," from Latin fistula "pipe, ulcer" (see fistula). The noun is from c.1300. Related: Festered; festering.

fester in Medicine

fester

[fĕs′tər]

v.

To ulcerate.

To form pus; putrefy.

n.

An ulcer.