empyema

[ em-pee-ee-muh, -pahy- ]

/ ˌɛm piˈi mə, -paɪ- /

noun Pathology.

a collection of pus in a body cavity, especially the pleural cavity.

Nearby words

empty-handed, empty-headed, empty-nest syndrome, empty-nester, empurple, empyema, empyesis, empyreal, empyrean, empyreuma, emr

Origin of empyema

1605–15; < Late Latin < Greek empýēma abscess, equivalent to em- em-² + pyē- (variant stem of pyeîn to suppurate, akin to pýon, pýos pus) + -ma noun suffix denoting result of action

Also called pyothorax.

Related forms

em·py·e·mic, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for empyema

(vii) If a hæmothorax suppurates, it must be treated on the ordinary lines of an empyema.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900|George Henry Makins
Murchison refers to three cases in which it was followed by empyema.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
He speaks of a metastasis to the kidneys and bladder being peculiarly favorable in empyema.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
(c) Decomposition of exudates anywhere in the body, as in empyema, bronchiectasis, and large tuberculous cavities.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

Cold abscess or empyema of the knee is a rare condition, in which the joint becomes filled with pus.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles

British Dictionary definitions for empyema

empyema

/ (ˌɛmpaɪˈiːmə) /

noun plural -emata (-ˈiːmətə) or -emas

a collection of pus in a body cavity, esp in the chest

Derived Forms

empyemic, adjective

Word Origin for empyema

C17: from Medieval Latin, from Greek empuēma abscess, from empuein to suppurate, from puon pus

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

Medicine definitions for empyema

empyema

[ ĕm′pī-ē′mə ]

n. pl. em•py•e•ma•ta (-mə-tə)

The presence of pus in a body cavity, especially the pleural cavity.

Related forms

em′py•e′mic adj.