Nearby Words
verb (used without object)
1.
(of unpleasant feelings, experiences, etc.) to continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; fester; be painful.
verb (used with object)
2.
to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in: His colleague's harsh criticism rankled him for days.
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Rankle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to bark; yelp. |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English ranclen < Middle French rancler, Old French raoncler, variant of draoncler to fester, derivative of draoncle a sore < Late Latin dracunculus small serpent, diminutive of Latin dracō serpent; see dragon, carbuncle
1250–1300; Middle English ranclen < Middle French rancler, Old French raoncler, variant of draoncler to fester, derivative of draoncle a sore < Late Latin dracunculus small serpent, diminutive of Latin dracō serpent; see dragon, carbuncle
Related forms
ran·kling·ly, adverb
un·ran·kled, adjective
Synonyms
1, 2. irritate, gall, chafe.
1, 2. irritate, gall, chafe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To rankle
Example Sentences
- Few things rankle a doctor more than an insurance company's saying it cannot find a claim for medical services.
- Many professors rankle at the notion that they should have to worry about it now.
- Yet their unfair advantages, of money and connections, rankle with honest citizens who never collaborated.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
rankle
c.1320, from O.Fr. rancler, from draoncle "abscess, festering sore," from L. dracunculus "little snake," dim. of draco (gen. draconis) "serpent, dragon." The notion is of an ulcer caused by a snake's bite.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
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