rankle

ran·kle  (rngkl)

v. ran·kled, ran·kling, ran·kles

v.intr.

1. To cause persistent irritation or resentment.

2. To become sore or inflamed; fester.

v.tr.

To embitter; irritate.

---

[Middle English ranclen, from Old French rancler, alteration of draoncler, from draoncle, festering sore, from Latin dracunculus, diminutive of drac, dracn-, serpent; see dragon.]

Word History: A persistent resentment, a festering sore, and a little snake are all coiled together in the history of the word rankle. "A little snake" is the sense of the Latin word dracunculus to which rankle can be traced, dracunculus being a diminutive of drac, "snake." The Latin word passed into Old French, as draoncle, having probably already developed the sense "festering sore," because some of these sores resembled little snakes in their shape or bite. The verb draoncler, "to fester," was then formed in Old French. The noun and verb developed alternate forms without the d-, and both were borrowed into Middle English, the noun rancle being recorded in a work written around 1190, the verb ranclen, in a work probably composed about 1300. Both words had literal senses having to do with festering sores. The noun is not recorded after the 16th century, but the verb went on to develop the figurative senses having to do with resentment and bitterness with which we are all too familiar.

---

rankle [ˈræŋk^əl]

vb

(intr) to cause severe and continuous irritation, anger, or bitterness; fester his failure to win still rankles

[C14 ranclen, from Old French draoncler to fester, from draoncle ulcer, from Latin dracunculus small serpent, from dracō serpent; see dragon]

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

rankle - gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The injustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered" eat into, grate, fret annoy, devil, gravel, irritate, nark, rile, vex, nettle, rag, bother, chafe, get at, get to - cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"

---

rankle

verb annoy, anger, irritate, gall, fester, embitter, chafe, irk, rile, get on your nerves (informal), piss you off (taboo slang), get your goat (slang) The only thing that rankles me is what she says about Ireland.

Translations

rankle [ˈræŋkl] VI → doler
the fact that he won still rankles with me → todavía me duele or me molesta el hecho de que él haya ganado

rankle [ˈræŋk^əl] vi [insult] → rester en travers de la gorge
it still rankles → cela reste encore en travers de la gorge
to rankle with sb
His behaviour rankles with me still → Sa conduite me reste encore en travers de la gorge.

rankle

vi to rankle (with somebody) → jdn wurmen

rankle [ˈræŋkl] vi to rankle (with sb) → bruciare (a qn)