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pus

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pus

[puhs]
–noun
a yellow-white, more or less viscid substance produced by suppuration and found in abscesses, sores, etc., consisting of a liquid plasma in which white blood cells are suspended.

Origin:
1535–45; < L; akin to Gk pýon pus. See pyo-


puslike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pus   (pŭs)   
n.  A generally viscous, yellowish-white fluid formed in infected tissue, consisting of white blood cells, cellular debris, and necrotic tissue.

[Latin pūs; see p- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pus 
1392, from L. pus "pus" (related to puter "rotten," see putrid), from PIE *pu- (cf. Skt. puyati "rots, stinks," putih "stinking, foul;" Gk. puon "discharge from a sore," pythein "to cause to rot;" Goth. fuls, O.E. ful "foul"), perhaps originally echoic of a natural exclamation of disgust.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pus
Pronunciation: 'p&s
Function: noun
: thick opaque usually yellowish white fluid matter formed by suppuration and composed of exudatecontaining leukocytes, tissue debris, and microorganisms
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

pus (pŭs)
n.
A generally viscous, yellowish-white fluid formed in infected tissue, consisting of white blood cells, cellular debris, and necrotic tissue.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
pus   (pŭs)  Pronunciation Key 
A thick, yellowish-white liquid that forms in infected body tissues, consisting of white blood cells, dead tissue, and cellular debris.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

pus

thick, opaque, usually yellowish white fluid matter formed in association with inflammation caused by the invasion of the body by infective microorganisms (such as bacteria). It is composed of degenerating leukocytes (white blood cells), tissue debris, and living or dead microorganisms. See inflammation.

Learn more about pus with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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