A disease of horses characterized by inflammation and swelling of the lymphatic vessels and tissues, causing lumpy swellings on the legs and body.
From Old French 'farcin,' derived from 'farcir' (to stuff). The disease is named for the way it causes tissues to swell or become 'stuffed' with fluid and inflammation, a metaphorical application of the cooking term.
Farcy was such a common and devastating disease in medieval and early modern Europe that the 'stuffing' metaphor stuck—veterinarians used it for centuries, and it shows how medical terminology grows from everyday observations of what disease does to the body.
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