pustule
Americannoun
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Pathology. a small elevation of the skin containing pus.
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any pimplelike or blisterlike swelling or elevation.
noun
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a small inflamed elevated area of skin containing pus
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any small distinct spot resembling a pimple or blister
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pustule
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pūstula, pūsula a pimple, blister; akin to Greek phȳsaléos inflated
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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.
It involved deliberately infecting someone with the disease by pricking someone else’s smallpox pustule, removing some pus, and placing that pus inside an incision on the recipient’s arm or thigh.
From Slate • Sep. 4, 2023
Each pustule contains live virus, and a ruptured blister can contaminate bed linens and other items, putting close contacts at risk.
From Seattle Times • May 26, 2022
BCG often causes a pustule at the injection site that may persist for months, usually resulting in a scar.
From Science Magazine • Mar. 23, 2020
Hence he was born to perform “Haircut,” a cinder-black vignette of small-town life told by a deceptively cheerful barber who is in truth a walking pustule of malice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2018
The Clabbert’s most distinctive feature is the large pustule in the middle of its forehead, which turns scarlet and flashes when it senses danger.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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.
