English Reference

Word

abscession

Phoneticsab·sces·sion

Definition

n. a medical condition where a pocket of pus forms in the body. It is an old word for an infection that causes a lump to grow.

n. the formation of a localized collection of pus within the tissues of the body. An archaic or highly technical term for a specific type of infection.

Examples

“The doctor treated the abscession with a small incision.”

“The patient was diagnosed with a deep abscession that required immediate surgical drainage to prevent further infection.”

“While modern medicine uses more precise terms, the historical record describes the patient's condition as a severe abscession that had spread to the surrounding lymph nodes.”

Examples

simple

“The doctor treated the abscession with a small incision.”

contextual

“The patient was diagnosed with a deep abscession that required immediate surgical drainage to prevent further infection.”

complex

“While modern medicine uses more precise terms, the historical record describes the patient's condition as a severe abscession that had spread to the surrounding lymph nodes.”

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin abscessio (“a separation”); from abscedere. See abscess.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Rare
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference