Plural of bubo; swollen, inflamed lymph nodes, especially in the groin or armpits, often a sign of serious infection like plague.
From Greek 'boubon' meaning groin, referring to the characteristic swelling in that area. Used in medical terminology since the Middle Ages to describe the devastating bubonic plague.
The buboes of the Black Death were so distinctive that medieval doctors could diagnose plague just by looking at them—these grotesque swellings became the tragic signature of a disease that killed millions. The word literally comes from the Greek word for groin because that's where people first noticed the terrifying lumps.
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