ab·scess

[ab-ses]
noun Pathology.
a localized collection of pus in the tissues of the body, often accompanied by swelling and inflammation and frequently caused by bacteria.

Origin:
1535–45; < Latin abscessus a going away, abscess, equivalent to absced-, variant stem of abscēdere to go away, separate off, form an abscess (abs- abs- + cēdere; see cede) + -tus suffix of v. action, with -dt- > -ss-

ab·scessed, adjective
un·ab·scessed, adjective

abscess, obsess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Abscess is always a great word to know.
So is abhorrent. Does it mean:
causing repugnance; detestable; loathsome:
sudden or unexpected:
Collins
World English Dictionary
abscess (ˈæbsɛs, -sɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a localized collection of pus formed as the product of inflammation and usually caused by bacteria
 
vb
2.  (intr) to form such a collection of pus
 
[C16: from Latin abscessus a going away, a throwing off of bad humours, hence an abscess, from abscēdere to go away]
 
'abscessed
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

abscess
1540s, from L. abscessus "an abscess" (Celsus), lit. "a going away," from stem of abscedere "withdraw," from ab- "away" + cedere "to go" (see cede). The notion is that humors "go from" the body through the pus in the swelling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

abscess ab·scess (āb'sěs')
n.

  1. A collection of pus formed by tissue destruction in an inflamed area of a localized infection.

  2. A cavity that is formed by liquefactive necrosis within solid tissue.

v. ab·scessed, ab·scess·ing, ab·scess·es
To form an abscess.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
abscess   (āb'sěs')  Pronunciation Key 
A localized collection of pus surrounded by infected tissue.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
abscess [(ab-ses)]

An inflamed area (see inflammation) in the body tissues that is filled with pus.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
She had this horrendous, painful-looking dental abscess, caused by a diseased
  upper left incisor.
The gums are usually painless or mildly tender, unless a tooth abscess is also
  present.
Quite what caused the abscess, or exactly how severe it was, has not been
  revealed.
The laminitis flared back up, and a deep abscess developed in his right hind
  foot.
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