fester
verb /ˈfestə(r)/
/ˈfestər/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they fester | /ˈfestə(r)/ /ˈfestər/ |
| he / she / it festers | /ˈfestəz/ /ˈfestərz/ |
| past simple festered | /ˈfestəd/ /ˈfestərd/ |
| past participle festered | /ˈfestəd/ /ˈfestərd/ |
| -ing form festering | /ˈfestərɪŋ/ /ˈfestərɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] (of a wound or cut) to become painful and infected (= full of bacteria)
- festering sores/wounds
- If you don’t take the splinter out, it will fester.
- [intransitive] (of bad feelings or thoughts) to become much worse because you do not deal with them successfully
- Instead of talking the matter over with him, she allowed her resentment to fester in her mind.
Word Originlate Middle English: from the rare word fester ‘fistula’, later ‘festering sore’, or Old French festrir (verb), both from Old French festre (noun), from Latin fistula ‘pipe, reed, fistula’.