pockmark

American  

[pok-mahrk] / ˈpɒkˌmɑrk /

noun

1. Usually pockmarks. scars or pits left by a pustule in smallpox or the like.

2. a small pit or scar.

   a tabletop full of pockmarks.

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verb (used with object)

1. to mark or scar with or as with pockmarks.

   gopher holes pockmarking the field.

pockmark British  

/ ˈpɒkˌmɑːk /

noun

1. Also called: pock.  a pitted scar left on the skin after the healing of a smallpox or similar pustule

2. any pitting of a surface that resembles or suggests such scars

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verb

1. (tr) to scar or pit (a surface) with pockmarks

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pockmarked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pockmark

First recorded in 1665–75; pock + mark ¹

Explanation

A pockmark is a small, concave scar on a person's skin. Pockmarks can be caused by severe acne. People who have a lot of pimples as teenagers sometimes end up with pockmarks on their faces as adults. Any serious skin condition — including chickenpox or insect bites — can result in a pockmark. You can also use this word as a verb, either to mean "mark with scars," or to describe something that reminds you of pockmarked skin: "The rain pockmarks the smooth sand on the beach."

Example Sentences

The team found multiple layers of sandy deposits, called turbidites, in the sediment samples taken from the pockmarks and the sub-bottom images of the pockmark field.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

The second-largest tar sands oil spill in the country — which left a black pockmark on Kansas grasslands a few weeks ago — will be harder to clean compared to past oil spills.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2022

Vacancies pockmark parts of the city like a boxer’s missing teeth.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2022

How he was the first person to ever mention, let alone compliment, the small pockmark on my left cheek, a souvenir from a case of chicken pox.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2021

I investigated a nearby pockmark and saw, in the ring of impact, the fat coil of a caterpillar.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer