noun
carbuncle
Carbuncle (noun) means a dark red gemstone, such as a garnet, especially one polished into a smooth rounded shape rather than cut with facets.
noun
1
A dark red gemstone, such as a garnet, especially one polished into a smooth rounded shape rather than cut with facets.
"A piece of marigold or bay leaf was imbedded in the metal, and over it a carbuncle or chrysolite was placed."
— Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art (1936)
2
A heraldic design meant to represent this gemstone, showing eight spokes spreading out from a central point.
3
A painful swollen lump under the skin, bigger than a boil, that leaks pus and is usually caused by a bacterial infection.
4
A building that most people think is ugly.
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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 tumour"), a diminutive of carbō ("a coal, charcoal"). It is a doublet of Garfinkel and Garfunkel.
Rhymes for carbuncle
See all rhymes for carbuncle →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of carbuncle?
"carbuncle" (noun) means a dark red gemstone, such as a garnet, especially one polished into a smooth rounded shape rather than cut with facets.
What are the different meanings of carbuncle?
"carbuncle" has 3 main meanings: 1. A dark red gemstone, such as a garnet, especially one polished into a smooth rounded shape rather than cut with facets; 2. A heraldic design meant to represent this gemstone, showing eight spokes spreading out from a central point; 3. A painful swollen lump under the skin, bigger than a boil, that leaks pus and is usually caused by a bacterial infection.
