purulent
Americanadjective
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full of, containing, forming, or discharging pus; suppurating.
a purulent sore.
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attended with suppuration.
purulent appendicitis.
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of the nature of or like pus.
purulent matter.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonpurulent adjective
- nonpurulently adverb
- purulence noun
- purulently adverb
Etymology
Origin of purulent
1590–1600; < Latin pūrulentus, equivalent to pūr-, stem of pūs pus + -ulentus -ulent
Explanation
Anything purulent is full of pus. Infected sores are often purulent; that's why Band Aids were invented. This is a gross-sounding word with a gross meaning: purulent things are full of pus (pussy). A purulent disease is one that generates a lot of pus, and a purulent sore contains or oozes pus. Other liquids that come from our bodies, like blood and urine, are not purulent. A purulent pimple is discharging pus. Also, this word is sometimes used to mean anything disgusting. A story that makes you feel sick could be called a purulent tale.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At that time, the sore was as wide as a grapefruit and had “copious purulent drainage, foul smell and bleeding,” Dorsey’s lawyers argue.
From Salon • Sep. 10, 2018
“What came out of Italy – that was so purulent, so disgusting – felt like this wound that we stabbed the finger in and is so sick, that it needs to be healed,” Argento said.
From The Guardian • Apr. 13, 2018
London has been known as the Great Wen for centuries: not so much a city as a giant purulent infection on the body of languishing England.
From The Guardian • Jun. 9, 2014
These crusts often trap purulent materials and have to be removed painfully.
From Time Magazine Archive
The lesions, except in the most rapid cases, consist of a plastic or purulent exudation in the meshes of the cerebro-spinal pia mater.
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
