Quinsy
//ˈkwɪnzi// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A peritonsillar abscess; a painful pus-filled inflammation or abscess of the tonsils and surrounding tissues, usually a complication of tonsillitis, caused by bacterial infection and often accompanied by fever. countable, uncountable
"He'd had the quinsy and swollen glands when he was young, he told me, and it had left him with a weal throat, and a hesitating, whispering fashion of speech."
- 2 a painful pus filled inflammation of the tonsils and surrounding tissues; usually a complication of tonsillitis wordnet
Example
More examples"He'd had the quinsy and swollen glands when he was young, he told me, and it had left him with a weal throat, and a hesitating, whispering fashion of speech."
Etymology
From Middle English quinesye, from Old French quinencie, from Medieval Latin quinancia, from Ancient Greek κυνάγχη (kunánkhē, “canine quinsy”), from κύων (kúōn, “dog”) + ἄγχω (ánkhō, “throttle”). Doublet of cynanche.
More for "quinsy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.