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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.
Synonyms
Examples of rankle in a Sentence
Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Oct. 2024
Her reporting sometimes rankles local government officials, according to court papers, including the Laredo Police Department.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2024
Matt Mahan San Jose’s mayor is rankling fellow Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom with his strong support of Prop 36, a ballot measure to increase prison time for fentanyl and retail theft.
—Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2024
The Boxer is always rankled and always on guard, with eyes that seem to dart and search for opportunity.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 8 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near rankle
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rankle. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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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
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