Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Rankle

Rankle (ran"k'l) , intransitive verb

[From Rank, a.]

1.
To become, or be, rank; to grow rank or strong; to be inflamed; to fester; -- used literally and figuratively.
A malady that burns and rankles inward. — Rowe
This would have left a rankling wound in the hearts of the people. — Burke
2.
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.

Rankle (ran"k'l) , transitive verb

To cause to fester; to make sore; to inflame. [Rare] — Beau. & Fl