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
Words Nearby abscess
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use abscess in a sentence
Various scratches and cuts line her arms and face; a pus-filled abscess burns on her right arm.
When he finally goes to see a dentist, he learns that he has an abscess: the tooth is rotten, threatening to overtake his jaw.
Rapport, who took the lovers part, had been kept awake all night by an abscess on his finger, and was nearly fainting.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste TchaikovskyIf he has opened his abscess with a bronze lancet and has made him lose his eye, he shall pay money, half his price.
The Oldest Code of Laws in the World | Hammurabi, King of BabylonThe king can be saved by injecting through the ear a remedy which will draw the contents of the abscess through that passage.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
The bulging of the canvas became larger, and was still increasing, like a frightful abscess ready to burst.
Toilers of the Sea | Victor HugoThe maddest boil, unless it kill you with its torments, does at length burst, and become an abscess.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VII. (of XXI.) | Thomas Carlyle
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.
Browse