v., -tered, -ter·ing, -ters. v.intr.
- To generate pus; suppurate.
- To form an ulcer.
- To undergo decay; rot.
- To be or become an increasing source of irritation or poisoning; rankle: bitterness that festered and grew.
- To be subject to or exist in a condition of decline: allowed the once beautiful park to fester.
To infect, inflame, or corrupt.
n.
A small festering sore or ulcer; a pustule.
[Middle English festren, from festre, fistula, from Old French, from Latin fistula.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
