abscess
a localized collection of pus in the tissues of the body, often accompanied by swelling and inflammation and frequently caused by bacteria.
Origin of abscess
1Other words from abscess
- abscessed, adjective
- un·ab·scessed, adjective
Words that may be confused with abscess
- abscess , obsess
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use abscess in a sentence
No, sir; I was off Thursday and Friday with abscessed tooth.
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyIn nine months a gentleman for whom I had filled four molars returned with an inferior one abscessed.
Tin Foil and Its Combinations for Filling Teeth | Henry L. AmblerAn abscessed tooth will explain her reticence on any other subject.
Mrs. Balfame | Gertrude Franklin Horn AthertonBut the truth would be harder to extract from that stern, scar-twisted mouth, than the abscessed tooth had been.
Murder at Bridge | Anne AustinYou've had a hard day with the abscessed tooth, the dope the dentist gave you, and—other things.
Murder at Bridge | Anne Austin
British Dictionary definitions for abscess
/ (ˈæbsɛs, -sɪs) /
a localized collection of pus formed as the product of inflammation and usually caused by bacteria
(intr) to form such a collection of pus
Origin of abscess
1Derived forms of abscess
- abscessed, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for abscess
[ ăb′sĕs′ ]
A localized collection of pus surrounded by infected tissue.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for abscess
[ (ab-ses) ]
An inflamed area (see inflammation) in the body tissues that is filled with pus.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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