suppuration

American  

[suhp-yuh-rey-shuhn] / ˌsʌp yəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the process of suppurating.

2. the matter produced by suppuration; pus.

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suppuration British  

/ ˌsʌpjʊˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the discharging of pus from a wound, sore, etc

2. the discharge itself

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Etymology

Origin of suppuration

1535–45; < Latin suppūrātiōn- (stem of suppūrātiō ) a forming of pus. See suppurate, -ion

Explanation

Suppuration is the process of pus forming. If you can't remove a tiny splinter from your finger, over time some suppuration may occur around it. Use the noun suppuration when you need a nice clean medical term for the formation of pus, the white substance that sometimes oozes from a sore or a pimple. Suppuration can happen because of an infection or skin irritation. The Latin root is suppurare, "to form or discharge pus," from sub, "under," and pus, which literally means "matter from a sore," and figuratively, "bitterness or malice."

Related Words

• emission
• flow
• seepage