fester

American  

[fes-ter] / ˈfɛs tər /

verb (used without object)

1. to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.

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

3. to putrefy or rot.

4. to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to rankle.

   Malice festered his spirit.

noun

1. an ulcer; a rankling sore.

2. a small, purulent, superficial sore.

fester British  

/ ˈfɛstə /

verb

1. to form or cause to form pus

2. (intr) to become rotten; decay

3. to become or cause to become bitter, irritated, etc, esp over a long period of time; rankle

   resentment festered his imagination

4. informal (intr) to be idle or inactive

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noun

1. a small ulcer or sore containing pus

Other Word Forms

• unfestered adjective
• unfestering adjective

Etymology

Origin of fester

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

Example Sentences

And over six seasons, the series examined the under-explored territory that lay between two world wars—a kind of historical trench in which all manner of skullduggery could fester and bloom.

From The Wall Street Journal

The shower too was glorious: warm clean water over my festering skin, streams of water through my matted hair.

From Literature

In fact, everything about him seemed to be rotting: from his empty, festering eye socket to his toothless black gums, and his shattered nose, from which hung a loop of greenish-yellow slime.

From Literature

This has been a festering issue not only for the industry but also for consumers.

From Los Angeles Times

For years, he lived underground or festered in jail.

From BBC

Related Words

• smolder