Forms: 4–6 festre, festure, (5 festyre), 4– fester. [a. OF. festre (for the change in termination from -le to -re cf. Fr. chapitre, épître: see CHAPITLE, EPISTLE) = Pr., Sp., It. fistola:—L. fistula: see FISTULA.]
1. In early use = FISTULA; subsequently, a rankling sore, an ulcer. In mod. use: ‘A superficial suppuration resulting from irritation of the skin’ (Quain, Dict. Med., 1882).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 11824 (Cott.). Þe fester thrild his bodi thurgh.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., VII. lix. (1495), 275. To the Canker and Festure [orig. fistulam]. Ibid., XVII. xiv. Festre.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 89. Festre … haþ wiþinne him a calose hardnesse al aboute as it were a goos penne or ellis a kane. Ibid., 292. Þis hole is clepid a festre of þe ers.
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, xxv. 15 b. The pyles or Emerodes, Fystles, and Festures.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 501. Sheeps wool … mingled with Hony is very medicinable for old sores or festers.
fig. 1834. Lytton, Pompeii, IV. ii. Thus, in the rankling festers of the mind, our art is to divert to a milder sadness on the surface the pain that gnaweth at the core.
† 2. A cicatrice, scar. Obs.
14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 708. Hec cicatrix, a festyre.
1483. Cath. Angl., 128/2. A Fester, cicatrix, a festyre.
1541. R. Copland, Galyen’s Terapeutyke, 2 H jb. Yf ye wyl bryng ye vlcere to a festre or cleuynge ye ought to chuse tarte meates.
3. [from the vb.] The action or process of causing a fester; = FESTERING vbl. sb.
1860. I. Taylor, Ultimate Civilization, 117. Used to the fester of the chain upon their necks.
