purulent
Americanadjective
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full of, containing, forming, or discharging pus; suppurating.
a purulent sore.
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attended with suppuration.
purulent appendicitis.
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of the nature of or like pus.
purulent matter.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of purulent
1590–1600; < Latin pūrulentus, equivalent to pūr-, stem of pūs pus + -ulentus -ulent
Explanation
Anything purulent is full of pus. Infected sores are often purulent; that's why Band Aids were invented. This is a gross-sounding word with a gross meaning: purulent things are full of pus (pussy). A purulent disease is one that generates a lot of pus, and a purulent sore contains or oozes pus. Other liquids that come from our bodies, like blood and urine, are not purulent. A purulent pimple is discharging pus. Also, this word is sometimes used to mean anything disgusting. A story that makes you feel sick could be called a purulent tale.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Purulent periostitis follows wounds which reach the periosteum and become infected, as observed in compound fractures, or it may result from advancing purulent conditions in neighboring structures, as in foul foot.
From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Purulent Conjunctivitis.—Some of the severer forms of catarrhal conjunctivitis are accompanied not only by a good deal of swelling of both conjunctiva and lids but also by a decidedly muco-purulent secretion.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various
Purulent solutions of continuity; as ulcer, cancer, caries, fistula, whitlow.
From Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History by MacGillivray, William
A theory of the effects of this medicine, with many successful cases, may be seen in a pamphlet, called, "Experiments on Mucilaginous and Purulent Matter," published by Dr. Darwin in 1780.
From The Botanic Garden. Part II. Containing the Loves of the Plants. a Poem. With Philosophical Notes. by Darwin, Erasmus
The French definition and nomenclature of py�mia, according to Gu�rin, is as follows: "Purulent infection, or pyoh�mia, purulent fever, surgical typhus."
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
