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Added 10 October 2026

fester

/ˈfɛstə/ noun

In Latin: suppūrō Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fester at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A fistula.
A sore or an ulcer of the skin.
The condition of something that festers; a festering; a festerment.

verb

To become septic; to become rotten.
To worsen, especially due to lack of attention.
Deal with the problem immediately; do not let it fester.
To cause to fester or rankle.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English festre, festur, borrowed from Old French festre (cognate with Italian fistola, Occitan fistola, Spanish fístula), from Latin fistula. The verb is derived from the noun, while the “condition of something that festers” noun sense is derived from the verb. Doublet of fistula.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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