From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
piles
n 1: pain caused by venous swelling at or inside the anal
sphincter [syn: hemorrhoid, haemorrhoid]
2: a large number or amount; "made lots of new friends"; "she
amassed a mountain of newspapers" [syn: tons, dozens,
heaps, lots, mountain, scores, stacks, loads,
rafts, slews, wads, oodles, gobs, scads,
lashings]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Piles \Piles\, n. pl. [L. pila a ball. Cf. Pill a medicine.]
(Med.)
The small, troublesome tumors or swellings about the anus and
lower part of the rectum which are technically called
hemorrhoids. See Hemorrhoids.
Note: [The singular pile is sometimes used.]
[1913 Webster]
Blind piles, hemorrhoids which do not bleed.
[1913 Webster]