fes·ter  (f ĕs t ər)
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v. fes·tered, fes·ter·ing, fes·ters v. intr. 1. To generate pus; suppurate. 2. To form an ulcer. 3. To undergo decay; rot. 4. a. To be or become an increasing source of irritation or poisoning; rankle: bitterness that festered and grew. b. To be subject to or exist in a condition of decline: allowed the once beautiful park to fester. v. tr. To infect, inflame, or corrupt. n. A small festering sore or ulcer; a pustule.
[Middle English festren, from festre, fistula, from Old French, from Latin fistula; see FISTULA.] |
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Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
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