Quinzy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old term for quinsy, a painful abscess or swelling in the throat close to the tonsils that makes swallowing difficult
2. A historical name for a serious infection of the throat, forming an abscess beside the tonsils and causing pain and fever
3. An archaic word for suppurative tonsillitis, a throat condition marked by a pus-filled swelling that can impair breathing

Etymology: The word "quinzy" is simply a spelling variant of "quinsy," and the disease it names was once thought to be a kind of dog-related affliction. Its ancient Greek ancestor, "kunánkhē," combined "kúōn," meaning dog, with "ánkhō," meaning to throttle or choke. The name described the way the swollen throat seemed to strangle the sufferer, and the dog element pointed to the canine kind of quinsy that ancient writers associated with dogs, a mistaken link that survived in the name. The Greek term passed through Medieval Latin as "quinancia," then into Old French as "quinencie," and finally into Middle English as "quinesye." The same Greek word also gave English the medical term "cynanche," which entered the language separately, making the two a doublet: one came through the everyday French and Latin route, the other was taken directly from Greek by physicians.

Synonyms: quinsy, tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess