boil
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boil¹
- /bɔɪ(ə)l/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɔɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English bile, büle (“boil, tumor”), from Old English bȳl, bȳle (“boil, swelling”), from Proto-Germanic *būlijō, *būlō (“boil”).
Akin to Dutch buil (“boil, swelling”), German Beule (“boil, hump”), Icelandic beyla (“swelling, hump”). The expected form is bile; the rounding of the diphthong could be caused by the initial b- and/or by association with etymology 2.
boil²
- /bɔɪ(ə)l/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɔɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English boillen, from Old French boillir (see French bouillir) from Latin bullīre (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”). Displaced native Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive). More at wall, well.
noun boils · boyl · boyle
- The point at which fluid begins to change to a vapour; the boiling point. Add the noodles when the water comes to the boil.
- An instance of boiling. Surface water will do, but give it a good boil before drinking it.
- A dish of boiled food, especially seafood. a down-home boil with plenty of crab
- A social event at which people gather to boil and eat food, especially seafood. (Compare a bake or clambake.) a down-home boil at the town hall
- A group of hawks. Hawks often look at each other as they ride their thermals, and if one is rising more rapidly, dozens of hawks—even hundreds—will join it, forming a "kettle" or a "boil" of hawks, one of the most spectacular sights in the bird world.
- A bubbling. He swam to the place where Mary disappeared but there was neither boil nor gurgle on the water, nor even a bell of departing breath, to mark the place where his beloved had sunk.
verb boils · boiling · boiled · boilt
- To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas. Boil some water in a pan.
- To cook in boiling water. Boil the eggs for three minutes.
- To begin to turn into a gas, seethe. Pure water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
- To bring to a boil, to heat so as to cause the contents to boil. 'I'll boil the kettle,' he said.
- To be uncomfortably hot. It’s boiling outside!
- To feel uncomfortably hot. I’m boiling in here – could you open the window?
- To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation. to boil sugar or salt
- To steep or soak in warm water. To try whether seeds be old or new, the sense cannot inform; but if you boil them in water, the new seeds will sprout sooner.
- To be agitated like boiling water; to bubble; to effervesce. the boiling waves of the sea
- To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid. His blood boils with anger.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: furuncle, seethe, boiling point, churn, roil, moil, abscess, fever, root, scald, hot, warm, temperature, naphtha, cooking, cook
Translations
Every language
noun accumulation of pus
| Español | furúnculo, forúnculo, divieso |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 종기 jonggi |
| 日本語 | 癤 setsu, 腫れ物 haremono, おでき odeki |
| 中文 | 疔瘡 /疔疮 dīngchuāng, 疔 dīng |
| हिन्दी | फुंसी phunsī, फोड़ा phoṛā, स्फोट sphoṭ, स्फोटक sphoṭak |
| Kiswahili | uvimbe, jipu |
| Português | abcesso, furúnculo, pústula, carbúnculo, cisto, íngua |
| Français | furoncle |
| Deutsch | Furunkel, Eiterbeule |
| Italiano | foruncolo, pustola |
| Ελληνικά | δοθιήνας dothiínas, καλόγερος kalógeros, σπυρί spyrí |
| Română | abces, furuncul, buboi |
| Русский | нары́в narýv, фуру́нкул furúnkul, чи́рей čírej |
| Tiếng Việt | nhọt |
| العربية | دُمَّل dummal, خُرَاج ḵurāj, ثُؤْلُول ṯuʔlūl |
| עברית | פוּרוּנְקֶל furúnkel, שְׁחִין sh'ħin |
noun point at which fluid begins to change to a vapour
| Español | hervor |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 끓는점 kkeulleunjeom, 비등점 bideungjeom |
| Português | fervura |
| Français | bouillir |
| Deutsch | Sieden, Wallung, Gebrodel |
| Ελληνικά | βρασμός vrasmós |
| Русский | кипе́ние kipénije |
| العربية | غَلَيَان ḡalayān, غَلْي ḡaly |
| עברית | רתיחה retikha |
noun collective noun for hawks
| Kiswahili | uvimbe |
|---|
verb (transitive) heat (a liquid) until it begins to turn into a gas
| Español | hervir, herver, jerver, jerber |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비등하다 bideunghada, 끓다 kkeulta |
| 日本語 | 沸かす wakasu, 沸騰させる futtōsaseru, 煮る niru |
| 中文 | 煮沸 zhǔfèi, 煮 zhǔ |
| हिन्दी | उबलना ubalnā |
| Kiswahili | uvimbe |
| Português | ferver |
| Français | faire bouillir, porter à ébullition |
| Deutsch | sieden |
| Italiano | far bollire |
| Ελληνικά | βράζω vrázo |
| Română | fierbe |
| Русский | кипяти́ть kipjatítʹ, вскипяти́ть vskipjatítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đun, đun sôi |
| العربية | غَلَى ḡalā |
| עברית | הרתיח hirtíakh |
verb cook in boiling water
| Español | bullir, cocer, hervir |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 끓이다 kkeurida |
| 日本語 | (transitive)ゆでる yuderu, 煮る niru, (intransitive)ゆだる yudaru, 煮える nieru |
| 中文 | 煮 zhǔ, 熬 āo |
| Kiswahili | chemsha |
| Português | ferver |
| Français | faire bouillir |
| Deutsch | kochen, sieden |
| Ελληνικά | βράζω vrázo |
| Română | fierbe |
| Русский | кипяти́ть kipjatítʹ, вари́ть varítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | luộc |
| العربية | غَلَّى ḡallā |
verb (intransitive) begin to turn into a gas
| Español | hervir, herver, jervir, jerver, jerber, ebullir |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 沸く waku |
| 中文 | 沸騰 /沸腾 fèiténg |
| Kiswahili | uvimbe |
| Português | ferver, evaporar |
| Français | bouillir |
| Deutsch | kochen |
| Italiano | bollire |
| Ελληνικά | βράζω vrázo |
| Русский | закипа́ть zakipátʹ, кипе́ть kipétʹ, закипе́ть zakipétʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | sôi |
verb colloquial: of a person, to be uncomfortably hot
| Kiswahili | uvimbe |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | βράζω vrázo |
| Русский | запа́риться zapáritʹsja, свари́ться svarítʹsja |
Talk about this word "boil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/boil. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. boil. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/boil "boil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/boil.Cite this
@misc{boil_2026,
title = {boil},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/boil},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
