·vt To cause to fester; to make sore; to Inflame.
II. Rankle ·adj To become, or be, rank; to grow rank or strong; to be inflamed; to Fester;
— used literally and figuratively.
III. Rankle ·adj To produce a festering or inflamed effect; to cause a sore;
— used literally and figuratively; as, a splinter rankles in the flesh; the words rankled in his bosom.