abscess
[ab-ses]
- a localized collection of pus in the tissues of the body, often accompanied by swelling and inflammation and frequently caused by bacteria.
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Origin of abscess
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for abscess
Contemporary Examples of abscess
When he finally goes to see a dentist, he learns that he has an abscess: the tooth is rotten, threatening to overtake his jaw.
Historical Examples of abscess
It was only an indisposition, pure and simple,—an abscess in the armpit; that was all.
The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, CompleteMadame La Marquise De Montespan
But the abscess of the lungs is not like an abscess which follows an injury.
The Mother's Manual of Children's DiseasesCharles West, M.D.
It had festered like an abscess and the abscess had burst, splashing every one.
The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume VIII.Guy de Maupassant
At the end of that time an abscess of the lungs was relieved and my cough was cured.
Old Rail Fence CornersVarious
Mucus and pus (matter such as comes from an abscess) may also be discharged.
abscess
- a localized collection of pus formed as the product of inflammation and usually caused by bacteria
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- (intr) to form such a collection of pus
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Word Origin for abscess
C16: from Latin abscessus a going away, a throwing off of bad humours, hence an abscess, from abscēdere to go away
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
Word Origin and History for abscess
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
abscess
(ăb′sĕs′)- A collection of pus formed by tissue destruction in an inflamed area of a localized infection.
- A cavity that is formed by liquefactive necrosis within solid tissue.
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- To form an abscess.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
abscess
[ăb′sĕs′]
- A localized collection of pus surrounded by infected tissue.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
abscess
[(ab-ses)]
An inflamed area (see inflammation) in the body tissues that is filled with pus.
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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.