empyema
[ em-pee-ee-muh, -pahy- ]
/ ˌɛm piˈi mə, -paɪ- /
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noun Pathology.
a collection of pus in a body cavity, especially the pleural cavity.
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Also called pyothorax.
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
OTHER WORDS FROM empyema
em·py·e·mic, adjectiveWords nearby empyema
Empty Quarter, empty set, empty suit, empty word, empurple, empyema, empyesis, empyreal, empyrean, empyreuma, em quad
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for empyema
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 of empyema
empyemic, adjectiveWord 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
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Medical 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.
Other words from empyema
em′py•e′mic adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.