Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A chilblain (often ulcerated), especially on the heel of the foot (also afflictive to some animals); a cold sore or blister.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, poetic, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
ulcerated chilblain on the heel
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: chilblain, chilblains, pernio
History
Origin unknown, but first attested in Middle English. suggested origins and context Attestations in Shakespeare's time seem to suggest it was intended as mildly vulgar (compare zit) and metaphorical; see more at this Open Literature article, which claims Welsh as most probable origin: * Compare Welsh cibi, cibwst (“chilblain(s)”), although this itself may borrow from Middle English, and we may be dealing with some ancient unknown term. Compare English gyve (“schackles”), a medieval word that might also take from Celtic. There has been further theoretical conjecture as well: * Assuming the origin English or Welsh derived from is pre-Celtic, some have speculated a link to an Old European word from a British Vasconic substrate, in this case related to Basque gibiztin (“knot, bow”), compounded from a lost root *gibi, *kibi (“lump?”).
