n.
Acute inflammation of the tonsils and the surrounding tissue, often leading to the formation of an abscess.
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin quinancia and Old French quinancie, both from Greek kunankhē, dog quinsy, dog-collar : kuōn, kun-, dog + ankhein, to squeeze.]
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.
