Revised as of
26 Oct 2022
NOTE: The exploration of boil vs carbuncle vs cyst is restricted to the bodily aspects, i.e., I’m ignoring the “act of boiling” noun and verb as well as the jewel aspects of the carbuncle.
Boils are bumps on your skin but cysts are bumps as well as problems under the skin. A carbuncle? That’s a cluster of boils.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Boil | Carbuncle | Cyst |
|---|---|---|
Myiasis papule Furuncle Caused by Cordylobia anthropophaga by Dr. Wolfgang PFÄFFL is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — That’s a nasty looking boil. |
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Carbunculus, 1908, was authored by Philipp Bockenheimer and is under no restrictions courtesy of the Internet Archive Book Images, via Wikimedia Commons. — That carbuncle is a nasty mass of boils! |
Sebaceous Cyst, 01 is Klaus D. Peter’s own work, Gummersbach, Germany, and is under the CC BY 3.0 de license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Noun
Plural: boils A.k.a., abscess, carbuncle, furuncle, stye |
Noun
Plural: carbuncles |
Noun
Plural: cysts |
| An inflamed pus-filled swelling on the skin, caused typically by the infection of a hair follicle | A severe abscess or multiple boil in the skin, typically infected with staphylococcus bacteria | [Biology] In an animal or plant, a thin-walled, hollow organ or cavity containing a liquid secretion
|
| Examples: | ||
| Boils are usually small but can be as big as a baseball.
A boil usually forms in an area of the body where there is friction. Most boils are a result of a staph bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, which normally lives on your skin or in your nose. Sometimes a fungal infection can cause a boil. Lemon oil taken internally or sniffed, is good for diabetes, asthma, boils, and varicose veins. |
A carbuncle is a cluster of boils.
While leaf paste is used externally against boils and carbuncles, the extract is considered a good remedy for recurring earache. In the story, Job hangs on true, and God gives him his wives and children and fixes all his boils and carbuncles. The ripe fruit was used to provide external relief from carbuncles and painful boils and used internally to treat stomach ulcers. Common skin infections include cellulitis, erysipelas, impetigo, folliculitis, and furuncles and carbuncles. It relieves menstrual pains, promotes menstruation, treats rheumatic aches and pains, and ripens carbuncles, sores and abscesses. He added that people suffering from cutaneous anthrax would develop carbuncles on their skin within 10 days after first contact. |
There are three types of cysts: epidermoid, milia, and pilar.
A cyst can form after an injury, due to a blocked gland or a swollen hair follicle. Most cysts are benign. The most common cyst is what we refer to as a blackhead or a pimple. Sometimes a thin needle is used to puncture the cyst and take out fluid to test for the Echinococcus infection. The walls of the cysts were mostly membranous with variable thickness. The eggs mature to neotenous larvae inside the walls of the cyst. Resting cysts represent a dormant stage in which normal life processes are greatly reduced. |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: carbuncular, carbuncled | Adjective: cystic, cysticercoid, cystoid Noun: cystectomies, cystectomy, cysticerci, cysticercoid, cysticercus, cystine, cystoid |
|
| History of the Word: | ||
| Old English bȳle, bȳl is of West Germanic origin and related to the Dutch buil and the German Beule. | Early 18th century, from the late Latin cystis, which is from the Greek kustis meaning bladder. | |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves?
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Boil vs Carbuncle vs Cyst
Apple Dictionary.com
“Is It a Cyst or a Boil?” Health Line. n.d. Web. 21 Oct 2019. <https://www.healthline.com/health/cyst-vs-boil#symptoms>.
Lexico.com: boil, carbuncle, cyst
Pinterest Photo Credits:
MRSA Bacteria Photo 8 by Gregory Moran, MD, is in the public domain, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Myxoid Cyst Left Index was contributed by Huge Bananas and is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
