Forms: α. 1 býl, (4 bele, biel, byil, 4–5 bule(ü), 5 beel, 4–7 byle, 6 byelle), 3–9 bile; β. 6–7 boyle, 7 boile, 7– boil. [OE. býl: com. Teut. = OS. *bûlia (MDu. and MLG. bûle, Du. buil), OHG. *bûlia, bûlla (MHG. biule, mod.G. beule:—OTeut. bûljâ- str. fem., f. root būl- in Goth. uf-bauljan to blow up. A diphthongal form *baul- is the base of the cognate ON. beyla hump, OF. beil, bel. The ME. form was regularly bile (Kentish bele, s. w. büle), which still prevails dialectally: it is not clear whether boil is due to association with the verb boil, or influenced by the Du. or other form. Cf. BEAL.]

1

  1.  A hard inflamed suppurating tumor; a furuncle.

2

a. 1000.  Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, Voc., 5. Furunculus, byl.

3

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 6011. Bile, and blister, bolnand sare.

4

1340.  Ayenb., 224. Goutes and beles.

5

1382.  Wyclif, Deut. xxviii. 27. Smyit the the Lord with the byil of Egipt. Ibid., 35. The moost yuel biel in knees. Ibid., Luke xvi. 20. Houndis camen, and … lickiden his bylis.

6

1393.  Langl., P. Pl., C. XXIII. 84. Bules [v.r. byles, belis, boilus] and bocches.

7

1483.  Caxton, Gold. Leg., 57/2. Ful of botchis, beelis and blaynes.

8

1562.  Bulleyn, Bk. Simples, 39 a. Painfull sores, Biles and pusshes.

9

1607.  Shaks., Cor., I. iv. 31. You Shames of Rome; you Heard of Byles and Plagues Plaister you o’re.

10

1617.  Markham, Caval., VII. 71. They rise betweene his chappes like a huge Byle.

11

1737.  J. Hervey, Life & Lett. (1772), 212. Holy Job healed of his biles.

12

1748.  trans. Vegetius’ Distemp. Horses, 62. He will have … small Biles in his Back. [Bile or Byle, in nearly all the dialect glossaries.]

13

  β.  1529.  More, Supplic. Soules, Wks. 292/2. One yt hath but a poore boyle vpon hys finger.

14

1611.  Bible, 2 Kings xx. 7. They tooke and layd it on the boile, and he recouered.

15

1755.  Johnson, Bile, this is generally spelt boil; but, I think, less properly.

16

1782.  Priestley, Nat. & Rev. Relig., II. 37. The boils … are said … to have been upon Pharoah.

17

1858.  Carlyle, Fredk. Gt. (1865), II. VII. iv. 285. The maddest boil … does at length burst, and become an abscess.

18

  b.  A swelling [= MDu. bûle].

19

1481.  Caxton, Reynard (Arb.), 86. And with his feet made two grete bules aboute his eris.

20

  c.  transf. A swelling on a painted surface resembling a boil; a blister.

21

1840.  Dickens, Barn. Rudge, lxiv. 303. The paint on the houses … crackled up, swelling into boils.

22

  2.  fig.

23

1537.  State Papers Hen. VIII., II. 410. The chief soare bile and hinderance of his obedience.

24

1579.  J. Stubbes, Gaping Gulf, C iij. A politique bile enflaming the peace of a settled and euen state.

25

1655.  Fuller, Ch. Hist., VI. i. § 21. The Rebellion … which from a small pustle might have proved a painfull bile.

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