abscess

[ab-ses]

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noun Pathology.

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

1535–45; < Latin abscessus a going away, abscess, equivalent to absced-, variant stem of abscēdere to go away, separate off, form an abscess (abs- abs- + cēdere; see cede) + -tus suffix of v. action, with -dt- > -ss-

Related formsab·scessed, adjectiveun·ab·scessed, adjective

Can be confusedabscess obsess

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abscess

ulcer, carbuncle, boil, pustule

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.
‘Mad Men’ Returns: A Recap of Season Five
Jace Lacob
April 5, 2013

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, Complete
Madame 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 Diseases
Charles 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 Corners
Various
Mucus and pus (matter such as comes from an abscess) may also be discharged.
The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for abscess

abscess

noun

a localized collection of pus formed as the product of inflammation and usually caused by bacteria

verb

(intr) to form such a collection of pus

Derived Formsabscessed, adjective

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

1610s, from Latin abscessus "an abscess" (Celsus), literally "a going away," from stem of abscedere "withdraw," from ab- "away" (see ab-) + cedere "to go" (see cede). The notion is that humors "go from" the body through the pus in the swelling.

abscess in Medicine