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abscess

 [ab-ses]   Example Sentences Origin

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-

Related forms
ab·scessed, adjective
un·ab·scessed, adjective

Can be confused: abscess, obsess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Abscess is always a great word to know.
So is absolution. Does it mean:
freeing from blame or guilt
scraped spot or area, especially of the skin
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example Sentences
  • Peritonsillar abscess is a collection of infected material in the area around the tonsils.
  • IT may have perforated or broken through the omentum causing the acute pelvic abscess.
  • During the several weeks it took to run the tigress down, an abscess paralyzed his head and neck.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
abscess (ˈæbsɛs, -sɪs)
 
—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
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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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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