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

• 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

See Examples For:

pockmark

The tortoises pockmark the desert floor with burrows that other animals use for shelter, and disperse the seeds of native plants in their waste.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2024

However, the research team has proposed the unique seafloor morphology in this area may create flow patterns that erode the pockmark centers.

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

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

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer