rankle

verb

ran·​kle ˈraŋ-kəl How to pronounce rankle (audio)
rankled; rankling ˈraŋ-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce rankle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to cause anger, irritation, or deep bitterness
2
: to feel anger and irritation

transitive verb

: to cause irritation or bitterness in

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The Connection Between Rankle and Dragon

When rankle was first used in English, it meant "to fester," and that meaning is related to French words referring to a sore and tracing to Latin dracunculus. The Latin is from draco, the word for a serpent and the source of English's dragon. The transition from serpents to sores is apparently from people associating the appearance of certain ulcers or tumors to small serpents.

Examples of rankle in a Sentence

The joke about her family rankled her. that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This rankled several members of the Council, but matters really blew up on Thursday morning when flight tracking data of a Qatari private jet travelling from Doha — via Lagos in Nigeria — showed that Infantino appeared to still be in the air to Paraguay, delaying the Congress by three hours. Adam Crafton, New York Times, 17 May 2025 The bill also includes other measures sure to rankle Democrats, including the reinstatement of two mining projects that were axed under the Biden administration. Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 7 May 2025 But this is no medical ward here, and no remote-control levitating mattress, a decision made by the city Department of Corrections that rankles his defenders. Phoebe Eaton, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2025 She was rankled by some CBS coverage of Gaza, including a CBS Mornings segment last fall and a 60 Minutes story in January. David Folkenflik, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rankle

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ranclen to fester, from Anglo-French rancler, from Old French draoncler, raoncler, from draoncle, raoncle festering sore, from Medieval Latin dracunculus, from Latin, diminutive of draco serpent — more at dragon

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rankle was in 1606

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Cite this Entry

“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rankle. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

rankle

verb
ran·​kle ˈraŋ-kəl How to pronounce rankle (audio)
rankled; rankling -k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce rankle (audio)
: to cause anger, irritation, or deep bitterness
Etymology

Middle English ranclen "to fester," from early French rancler (same meaning), derived from earlier draoncle, raoncle "a festering sore," from Latin dracunculus "little serpent, little dragon," from earlier draco "serpent, dragon," from Greek drākon "serpent, dragon" — related to dragon

Word Origin
The Greek word drakōn, meaning "serpent, dragon," was borrowed into Latin as draco. Later, the noun dracunculus, meaning "little serpent," was formed from draco. The French borrowed this noun as draoncle or raoncle but used it for "a festering sore or ulcer." It seems that the form of such a sore looked something like the form of a small serpent. From the noun the French formed the verb rancler, "to fester." In the 14th century, the verb was taken into English as rankle, with the same meaning. Our word dragon also comes from the Greek drakōn by way of the Latin draco.

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