boil.
A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.
Meaning & usage
A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bile, büle (“boil, tumor”), from Old English bȳl, bȳle (“boil, swelling”), from Proto-Germanic *būlijō, *būlō (“boil”). Akin to Dutch buil (“boil, swelling”), German Beule (“boil, hump”), Icelandic beyla (“swelling, hump”). The expected form is bile; the rounding of the diphthong could be caused by the initial b- and/or by association with etymology 2.
The point at which fluid begins to change to a vapour; the boiling point.
Add the noodles when the water comes to the boil.
An instance of boiling.
Surface water will do, but give it a good boil before drinking it.
A dish of boiled food, especially seafood.
a down-home boil with plenty of crab
A social event at which people gather to boil and eat food, especially seafood. (Compare a bake or clambake.)
a down-home boil at the town hall
A group of hawks.
A bubbling.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bew-der.? Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der.? Latin bulla Proto-Indo-European *-yétider. Latin -iō Latin bulliō Old French boillirbor. Middle English boillen English boil From Middle English boillen, from Old French boillir (see French bouillir) from Latin bullīre (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”). Displaced native Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive). More at wall, well.
To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas.
Boil some water in a pan.
To cook in boiling water.
Boil the eggs for three minutes.
Is the rice boiling yet?
To begin to turn into a gas, seethe.
Pure water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
To bring to a boil, to heat so as to cause the contents to boil.
To be uncomfortably hot.
It’s boiling outside!
To feel uncomfortably hot.
I’m boiling in here – could you open the window?
To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation.
to boil sugar or salt
To steep or soak in warm water.
To be agitated like boiling water; to bubble; to effervesce.
the boiling waves of the sea
To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid.
His blood boils with anger.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bew-der.? Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der.? Latin bulla Proto-Indo-European *-yétider. Latin -iō Latin bulliō Old French boillirbor. Middle English boillen English boil From Middle English boillen, from Old French boillir (see French bouillir) from Latin bullīre (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”). Displaced native Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive). More at wall, well.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.