Boil

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Boil, v. i. [OE. boilen, OF. boilir, builir, F. bouillir, fr. L. bullire to be in a bubbling motion, from bulla bubble; akin to Gr. , Lith. bumbuls. Cf. Bull an edict, Budge, v., and Ebullition.].

•  To be agitated, or tumultuously moved, as a liquid by the generation and rising of bubbles of steam (or vapor), or of currents produced by heating it to the boiling point; to be in a state of ebullition; as, the water boils.  [1913 Webster]
•  To be agitated like boiling water, by any other cause than heat; to bubble; to effervesce; as, the boiling waves.  [1913 Webster]

  "He maketh the deep to boil like a pot."  [1913 Webster]
•  To pass from a liquid to an aëriform state or vapor when heated; as, the water boils away.  [1913 Webster]
•  To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid; as, his blood boils with anger.  [1913 Webster]

  "Then boiled my breast with flame and burning wrath."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be in boiling water, as in cooking; as, the potatoes are boiling.  [1913 Webster]

To boil away, to vaporize; to evaporate or be evaporated by the action of heat. -- To boil over, to run over the top of a vessel, as liquid when thrown into violent agitation by heat or other cause of effervescence; to be excited with ardor or passion so as to lose self-control.

Boil, v. t. 

•  To heat to the boiling point, or so as to cause ebullition; as, to boil water.  [1913 Webster]
•  To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation; as, to boil sugar or salt.  [1913 Webster]
•  To subject to the action of heat in a boiling liquid so as to produce some specific effect, as cooking, cleansing, etc.; as, to boil meat; to boil clothes.  [1913 Webster]

  "The stomach cook is for the hall,
  And boileth meate for them all."  [1913 Webster]
•  To steep or soak in warm water.  [1913 Webster]

  "To try whether seeds be old or new, the sense can not inform; but if you boil them in water, the new seeds will sprout sooner."  [1913 Webster]

To boil down, to reduce in bulk by boiling; as, to boil down sap or sirup.

Boil, n. 

 Act or state of boiling.  [1913 Webster]

Boil, n. [Influenced by boil, v. See Beal, Bile.].

 A hard, painful, inflamed tumor, which, on suppuration, discharges pus, mixed with blood, and discloses a small fibrous mass of dead tissue, called the core.  [1913 Webster]

A blind boil, one that suppurates imperfectly, or fails to come to a head. -- Delhi boil (Med.), a peculiar affection of the skin, probably parasitic in origin, prevailing in India (as among the British troops) and especially at Delhi.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Boil, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. a (of a liquid) start to bubble up and turn into vapour; reach a temperature at which this happens. b (of a vessel) contain boiling liquid (the kettle is boiling).
2 a tr. bring (a liquid or vessel) to a temperature at which it boils. b tr. cook (food) by boiling. c intr. (of food) be cooked by boiling. d tr. subject to the heat of boiling water, e.g. to clean.
3 intr. a (of the sea etc.) undulate or seethe like boiling water. b (of a person or feelings) be greatly agitated, esp. by anger.
--n. the act or process of boiling; boiling-point (on the boil; bring to the boil).

Idiom

boil down 1 reduce volume by boiling.
2 reduce to essentials.
3 (foll. by to) amount to; signify basically. boiled shirt a dress shirt with a starched front. boiled sweet Brit. a sweet made of boiled sugar.
boil over
1 spill over in boiling.
2 lose one's temper; become over-excited. make one's blood boil see BLOOD.

Boil, n. an inflamed pus-filled swelling caused by infection of a hair follicle etc.

Etymology

OE byl(e) f. WG

THESAURUS

Boil

abscess, agitation, antisepticize, aposteme, autoclave, bake, barbecue, baste, be in heat, be livid, be pissed, bed sore, blain, blanch, blaze, bleb, blister, bloom, blow up, blubber, bluster, bobbery, boil over, boiling, bolt, braise, brew, bristle, broil, brouhaha, brown, browned off, bubble, bubble over, bubble up, bubo, bulla, bump, bunion, burble, burn, bustle, canker, canker sore, carbuncle, carry on, casserole, chafe, chancre, chancroid, charge, chase, chilblain, chlorinate, choke, churn, coction, coddle, cold sore, combust, commotion, conturbation, cook, corn, course, cover, culinary masterpiece, culinary preparation, curry, cyst, dash, decoct, decoction, decontaminate, delouse, devil, dilatation, dilation, discomposure, dish, disinfect, disorder, disquiet, disquietude, distension, distill, disturbance, do, do to perfection, ebullience, ebulliency, ebulliometer, ebullition, edema, effervesce, embroilment, entree, eschar, excitement, felon, ferment, fermentation, fester, festering, fever, fever blister, feverishness, fidgets, fire, fistula, fizz, fizzle, flame, flame up, flap, flare, flare up, flicker, fling, flurry, flush, fluster, flutteration, foam, foment, fret, fricassee, frizz, frizzle, fry, fulminate, fume, fumigate, furuncle, furunculus, fuss, gasp, gathering, glow, go on, griddle, grill, guggle, gumboil, gurgle, have a conniption, heat, hemorrhoids, hiss, hubbub, hurly-burly, hygienize, incandesce, inquietude, intumescence, jitters, jumpiness, kibe, lash, lesion, lump, maelstrom, main dish, malaise, moil, nerviness, nervosity, nervousness, oven-bake, pan, pan-broil, pant, papula, papule, parboil, parch, paronychia, parulis, pasteurize, perturbation, petechia, piles, pimple, pissed off, plop, poach, pock, polyp, prepare, prepare food, pustule, race, radiate heat, rage, raise Cain, raise hell, raise the devil, raise the roof, rant, rant and rave, rave, restlessness, rising, roast, roil, rout, row, sanitate, sanitize, saute, scab, scald, scallop, scorch, sear, sebaceous cyst, seethe, seething, shimmer with heat, shirr, shoot, side dish, simmer, simmering, sizzle, smoke, smolder, smother, smoulder, soft chancre, sore, spark, sparkle, splutter, sputter, steam, sterilize, stew, stewing, stifle, stigma, stir, stir-fry, storm, sty, suffocate, suppuration, sweat, swell, swelling, swelter, swirl, swollenness, take on, tear, throw a fit, to-do, toast, trepidation, trepidity, tubercle, tumefaction, tumescence, tumidity, tumor, tumult, tumultuation, turbidity, turbulence, turgescence, turgescency, turgidity, turmoil, twitter, ulcer, ulceration, unease, unrest, upset, wale, welt, wen, wheal, whelk, whitlow, work, wound

ROGET THESAURUS

Boil

Disease

N disease, illness, sickness, ailing, all the ills that flesh is heir to, morbidity, morbosity, infirmity, ailment, indisposition, complaint, disorder, malady, distemper, distemperature, visitation, attack, seizure, stroke, fit, delicacy, loss of health, invalidation, cachexy, cachexia, atrophy, marasmus, indigestion, dyspepsia, decay, decline, consumption, palsy, paralysis, prostration, taint, pollution, infection, sepsis, septicity, infestation, epidemic, pandemic, endemic, epizootic, murrain, plague, pestilence, pox, sore, ulcer, abscess, fester, boil, pimple, wen, carbuncle, gathering, imposthume, peccant humor, issue, rot, canker, cold sore, fever sore, cancer, carcinoma, leukemia, neoplastic disease, malignancy, tumor, caries, mortification, corruption, gangrene, sphacelus, sphacelation, leprosy, eruption, rash, breaking out, fever, temperature, calenture, inflammation, ague, angina pectoris, appendicitis, Asiatic cholera, spasmodic cholera, biliary calculus, kidney stone, black death, bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, blennorrhagia, blennorrhoea, blood poisoning, bloodstroke, bloody flux, brash, breakbone fever, dengue fever, malarial fever, Q-fever, heart attack, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy, hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, bronchocele, canker rash, cardialgia, carditis, endocarditis, cholera, asphyxia, chlorosis, chorea, cynanche, dartre, enanthem, enanthema, erysipelas, exanthem, exanthema, gallstone, goiter, gonorrhea, green sickness, grip, grippe, influenza, flu, hay fever, heartburn, heaves, rupture, hernia, hemorrhoids, piles, herpes, itch, king's evil, lockjaw, measles, mumps, polio, necrosis, pertussis, phthisis, pneumonia, psora, pyaemia, pyrosis, quinsy, rachitis, ringworm, rubeola, St. Vitus's dance, scabies, scarlatina, scarlet fever, scrofula, seasickness, struma, syntexis, tetanus, tetter, tonsillitis, tonsilitis, tracheocele, trachoma, trismus, varicella, varicosis, variola, water qualm, whooping cough, yellow fever, yellow jack, fatal disease, dangerous illness, galloping consumption, churchyard cough, general breaking up, break up of the system, idiocy insanity, martyr to disease, cripple, the halt the lame and the blind, valetudinary, valetudinarian, invalid, patient, case, sickroom, sick- chamber, pathology, etiology, nosology, anthrax, bighead, blackleg, blackquarter, cattle plague, glanders, mange, scrapie, milk sickness, heartworm, feline leukemia, roundworms, quarter-evil, quarter-ill, rinderpest, virus, bacterium, bacteria, DNA virus, RNA virus, rhinovirus, rhabdovirus, picornavirus, herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, CMV, human immunodefficiency virus, HIV, diseased, ailing, ill, ill of, taken ill, seized with, indisposed, unwell, sick, squeamish, poorly, seedy, affected with illness, afflicted with illness, laid up, confined, bedridden, invalided, in hospital, on the sick list, out of health, out of sorts, under the weather, valetudinary, unsound, unhealthy, sickly, morbid, morbose, healthless, infirm, chlorotic, unbraced, drooping, flagging, lame, crippled, halting, morbid, tainted, vitiated, peccant, contaminated, poisoned, tabid, mangy, leprous, cankered, rotten, rotten to the core, rotten at the core, withered, palsied, paralytic, dyspeptic, luetic, pneumonic, pulmonic, phthisic, rachitic, syntectic, syntectical, tabetic, varicose, touched in the wind, broken-winded, spavined, gasping, hors de combat, weakly, weakened, decrepit, decayed, incurable, in declining health, cranky, in a bad way, in danger, prostrate, moribund, morbific epidemic, endemic, zymotic.

Excitation

VB excite, affect, touch, move, impress, strike, interest, animate, inspire, impassion, smite, infect, stir the blood, fire the blood, warm the blood, set astir, wake, awake, awaken, call forth, evoke, provoke, raise up, summon up, call up, wake up, blow up, get up, light up, raise, get up the steam, rouse, arouse, stir, fire, kindle, enkindle, apply the torch, set on fire, inflame, stimulate, exsuscitate, inspirit, spirit up, stir up, work up, pique, infuse life into, give new life to, bring new blood, introduce new blood, quicken, sharpen, whet, work upon, hurry on, give a fillip, put on one's mettle, fan the fire, fan the flame, blow the coals, stir the embers, fan into a flame, foster, heat, warm, foment, raise to a fever heat, keep up, keep the pot boiling, revive, rekindle, rake up, rip up, stir the feelings, play on the feelings, come home to the feelings, touch a string, touch a chord, touch the soul, touch the heart, go to one's heart, penetrate, pierce, go through one, touch to the quick, possess the soul, pervade the soul, penetrate the soul, imbrue the soul, absorb the soul, affect the soul, disturb the soul, absorb, rivet the attention, sink into the mind, sink into the heart, prey on the mind, distract, intoxicate, overwhelm, overpower, bouleverser, upset, turn one's head, fascinate, enrapture, agitate, perturb, ruffle, fluster, shake, disturb, startle, shock, stagger, give one a shock, give one a turn, strike all of a heap, stun, astound, electrify, galvanize, petrify, irritate, sting, cut to the heart, cut to the quick, try one's temper, fool to the top of one's bent, pique, infuriate, madden, make one's blood boil, lash into fury, be excited, flush up, flare up, catch the infection, thrill, mantle, work oneself up, seethe, boil, simmer, foam, fume, flame, rage, rave, run mad.

Excitability

VB be impatient, not be able to bear, bear ill, wince, chafe, champ a bit, be in a stew, be out of all patience, fidget, fuss, not have a wink of sleep, toss on one's pillow, lose one's temper, break out, burst out, fly out, go off, fly off, fly off at a tangent, fly off the handle, lose one's cool, explode, flare up, flame up, fire up, burst into a flame, take fire, fire, burn, boil, boil over, foam, fume, rage, rave, rant, tear, go wild, run wild, run mad, go into hysterics, run riot, run amuck, battre la campagne, faire le diable a quatre, play the deuce.

Violence

VB be violent, run high, ferment, effervesce, romp, rampage, go on a rampage, run wild, run amuck, run riot, break the peace, rush, tear, rush headlong, rush foremost, raise a storm, make a riot, rough house, riot, storm, wreak, bear down, ride roughshod, out Herod, Herod, spread like wildfire (person), explode, make a row, kick up a row, boil, boil over, fume, foam, come on like a lion, bluster, rage, roar, fly off the handle, go bananas, go ape, blow one's top, blow one's cool, flip one's lid, hit the ceiling, hit the roof, fly into a rage (anger), break out, fly out, burst out, bounce, explode, go off, displode, fly, detonate, thunder, blow up, crump, flash, flare, burst, shock, strain, break open, force open, prize open, render violent, sharpen, stir up, quicken, excite, incite, annoy, urge, lash, stimulate, turn on, irritate, inflame, kindle, suscitate, foment, accelerate, aggravate, exasperate, exacerbate, convulse, infuriate, madden, lash into fury, fan the flame, add fuel to the flame, pour oil on the fire, oleum addere camino, explode, let fly, fly off, discharge, detonate, set off, detonize, fulminate.

Resentment

VB resent, take amiss, take ill, take to heart, take offense, take umbrage, take huff, take exception, take in ill part, take in bad part, take in dudgeon, ne pas entendre raillerie, breathe revenge, cut up rough, fly into a rage, fall into a rage, get into a rage, fly into a passion, bridle up, bristle up, froth up, fire up, flare up, open the vials of one's wrath, pour out the vials of one's wrath, pout, knit the brow, frown, scowl, lower, snarl, growl, gnarl, gnash, snap, redden, color, look black, look black as thunder, look daggers, bite one's thumb, show one's teeth, grind one's teeth, champ the bit, champ at the bit, chafe, mantle, fume, kindle, fly out, take fire, boil, boil over, boil with indignation, boil with rage, rage, storm, foam, vent one's rage, vent one's spleen, lose one's temper, stand on one's hind legs, stamp the foot, stamp with rage, quiver with rage, swell with rage, foam with rage, burst with anger, raise Cain, have a fling at, bear malice, cause anger, raise anger, affront, offend, give offense, give umbrage, anger, hurt the feelings, insult, discompose, fret, ruffle, nettle, huff, pique, excite, irritate, stir the blood, stir up bile, sting, sting to the quick, rile, provoke, chafe, wound, incense, inflame, enrage, aggravate, add fuel to the flame, fan into a flame, widen the breach, envenom, embitter, exasperate, infuriate, kindle wrath, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, hit on the raw, rub on the raw, sting on the raw, strike on the raw, put out of countenance, put out of humor, put one's monkey up, put one's back up, raise one's gorge, raise one's dander, raise one's choler, work up into a passion, make one's blood boil, make the ears tingle, throw, into a ferment, madden, drive one mad, lash into fury, lash into madness, fool to the top of one's bent, set by the ears, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears.

Convexity

N convexity, prominence, projection, swelling, gibbosity, bilge, bulge, protuberance, protrusion, camber, cahot, thank-ye-ma'am, swell, intumescence, tumour, tumor, tubercle, tuberosity, excrescence, hump, hunch, bunch, boss, embossment, hub, hubble, tooth, knob, elbow, process, apophysis, condyle, bulb, node, nodule, nodosity, tongue, dorsum, bump, clump, sugar loaf, bow, mamelon, molar, belly, corporation, pot belly, gut, withers, back, shoulder, lip, flange, pimple, zit, wen, wheel, papula, pustule, pock, proud flesh, growth, sarcoma, caruncle, corn, wart, pappiloma, furuncle, polypus, fungus, fungosity, exostosis, bleb, blister, blain, boil, airbubble, blob, papule, verruca, papilla, nipple, teat, tit, titty, boob, knocker, pap, breast, dug, mammilla, proboscis, nose, neb, beak, snout, nozzle, schnoz, peg, button, stud, ridge, rib, jutty, trunnion, snag, cupola, dome, arch, balcony, eaves, pilaster, relief, relievo, cameo, bassorilievo, mezzorilevo, altorivievo, low relief, bas relief, high relief, hill, cape, promontory, mull, forehead, foreland, point of land, mole, jetty, hummock, ledge, spur, naze, ness, convex, prominent, protuberant, projecting, bossed, embossed, bossy, nodular, bunchy, clavate, clavated, claviform, hummocky, moutonne, mammiliform, papulous, papilose, hemispheric, bulbous, bowed, arched, bold, bellied, tuberous, tuberculous, tumous, cornute, odontoid, lentiform, lenticular, gibbous, club shaped, hubby, hubbly, knobby, papillose, saddle-shaped, selliform, subclavate, torose, ventricose, verrucose, salient, in relief, raised, repousse, bloated, (expanded).

Agitation

VB be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate.

Vaporization

VB render gaseous, vaporize, volatilize, distill, sublime, evaporate, exhale, smoke, transpire, emit vapor, fume, reek, steam, fumigate, cohobate, finestill, bubble, sparge, effervesce, boil.

Bubble

VB bubble, boil, foam, froth, mantle, sparkle, guggle, gurgle, effervesce, ferment, fizzle.

Heat

VB be hot, glow, flush, sweat, swelter, bask, smoke, reek, stew, simmer, seethe, boil, burn, blister, broil, blaze, flame, smolder, parch, fume, pant, heat, recalesce, thaw, give.

Calefaction

VB heat, warm, chafe, stive, foment, make hot, sun oneself, sunbathe, go up in flames, burn to the ground (flame), fire, set fire to, set on fire, kindle, enkindle, light, ignite, strike a light, apply the match to, apply the torch to, rekindle, relume, fan the flame, add fuel to the flame, poke the fire, stir the fire, blow the fire, make a bonfire of, melt, thaw, fuse, liquefy, burn, inflame, roast, toast, fry, grill, singe, parch, bake, torrefy, scorch, brand, cauterize, sear, burn in, corrode, char, calcine, incinerate, smelt, scorify, reduce to ashes, burn to a cinder, commit to the flames, consign to the flames, boil, digest, stew, cook, seethe, scald, parboil, simmer, do to rags, take fire, catch fire, blaze.