“boil” – English explanatory dictionary

verb 1. (of water or other liquid.) to form bubbles and change into steam or gas because of being heated ○ Put the egg in when you see that the water’s boiling. ○ Don’t let the milk boil. □ bring the water to the boil to heat the water until it boils 2. to heat a liquid until it changes into steam ○ Can you boil some water so we can make tea? 3. to cook food such as vegetables or eggs in boiling water ○ Boil the potatoes in a large pan. ■ noun 1. an infected swelling ○ He has a boil on the back of his neck. 2. when water is boiling § on the boil 1. continuing to boil ○ The kettle’s on the boil. 2. being considered actively ○ The papers kept the story on the boil for several weeks before losing interest.

(boil), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boiled (boild); p. pr. & vb. n. Boiling.] [OE. boilen, OF. boilir, builir, F. bouillir, fr. L. bullire to be in a bubbling motion, from bulla bubble; akin to Gr. , Lith. bumbuls. Cf. Bull an edict, Budge, v., and Ebullition.]
1. To be agitated, or tumultuously moved, as a liquid by the generation and rising of bubbles of steam (or vapor), or of currents produced by heating it to the boiling point; to be in a state of ebullition; as the water boils.
2. To be agitated like boiling water, by any other cause than heat; to bubble; to effervesce; as the boiling waves. “He maketh the deep to boil like a pot.
Job xii. 31.”
3. To pass from a liquid to an aëriform state or vapor when heated; as the water boils away.
4. To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid; as his blood boils with anger. “Then boiled my breast with flame and burning wrath.
Surrey.”
5. To be in boiling water, as in cooking; as the potatoes are boiling. To boil away, to vaporize; to evaporate or be evaporated by the action of heat. — To boil over, to run over the top of a vessel, as liquid when thrown into violent agitation by heat or other cause of effervescence; to be excited with ardor or passion so as to lose self-control.

v. t. 1. To heat to the boiling point, or so as to cause ebullition; as to boil water.
2. To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation; as to boil sugar or salt.
3. To subject to the action of heat in a boiling liquid so as to produce some specific effect, as cooking, cleansing, etc.; as to boil meat; to boil clothes. “The stomach cook is for the hall,
And boileth meate for them all.
Gower.”
4. To steep or soak in warm water. [Obs.] “To try whether seeds be old or new, the sense can not inform; but if you boil them in water, the new seeds will sprout sooner.
Bacon.” To boil down, to reduce in bulk by boiling; as to boil down sap or sirup.

n. Act or state of boiling. [Colloq.]

n. [Influenced by boil, v. See Beal, Bile.] A hard, painful, inflamed tumor, which, on suppuration, discharges pus, mixed with blood, and discloses a small fibrous mass of dead tissue, called the core. A blind boil, one that suppurates imperfectly, or fails to come to a head. — Delhi boil (Med.), a peculiar affection of the skin, probably parasitic in origin, prevailing in India (as among the British troops) and especially at Delhi.