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

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Etymology

Origin of pockmark

First recorded in 1665–75; pock + mark ¹

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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

Computer modeling will be required to confirm if an unconfined flow passing over the pockmark field carries sufficient energy to erode and maintain the pockmarks.

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024

So many uranium mines, mills and waste piles pockmark the Navajo Nation that the Environmental Protection Agency created a comic book superhero, Gamma Goat, to warn Diné children away from the sites.

From Salon ● Dec. 6, 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

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