ichor

[ ahy-kawr, ahy-ker ]

/ ˈaɪ kɔr, ˈaɪ kər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: ichorous on Thesaurus.com

noun

Classical Mythology. an ethereal fluid flowing in the veins of the gods.

Pathology. an acrid, watery discharge, as from an ulcer or wound.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ichor

1630–40; <Late Latin īchōr (in medical sense) <Greek īchṓr

OTHER WORDS FROM ichor

i·chor·ous

[ahy-ker-uhs], /ˈaɪ kər əs/, adjective

Words nearby ichor

ichnite, ichno-, ichnofossil, ichnography, ichnology, ichor, ichoroid, ichorrhea, ichth., ichthammol, ichthyic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ichor in a sentence

From the deep gash flowed a strange ichor, and Khosatral cried out like the dirging of a great bell.
The Devil in Iron|Robert E. Howard
She spoke, and with her palms wiped off the ichor from her hand: the hand was healed, and the severe pains mitigated.
The Iliad of Homer (1873)|Homer
On my way home the blood coursed through my veins like an immortal ichor of the gods, full of sweet and inextinguishable fire.
A Trip to Venus|John Munro
The peritoneal cavity contained a virulent ichor or thin liquor, yellowish, or greenish.
A History of Epidemics in Britain (Volume I of II)|Charles Creighton

In other cases this extreme result is not caused and fistulae are formed from which the ichor constantly flows.
Prof. Koch's Method to Cure Tuberculosis Popularly Treated|Max Birnbaum

British Dictionary definitions for ichor

ichor

/ (ˈaɪkɔː) /

noun

Greek myth the fluid said to flow in the veins of the gods

pathol a foul-smelling watery discharge from a wound or ulcer

Derived forms of ichor

ichorous, adjective

Word Origin for ichor

C17: from Greek ikhōr, of obscure origin

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

Medical definitions for ichor

ichor

[ ī′kôr′, ī′kər ]

A watery, acrid discharge from a wound or ulcer.

Other words from ichor

i′chor•ous (ī′kər-əs) adj.