What does abscess mean?

Definitions for abscess
ˈæb sɛsab·scess

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word abscess.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. abscessnoun

    symptom consisting of a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue

Wiktionary

  1. abscessnoun

    A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.

  2. abscessverb

    To form a pus filled cavity typically from an infection.

  3. Etymology: * First attested in 1615.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Abscess

    A morbid cavity in the body; a tumour filled with matter; a term of chirurgery.

    Etymology: abscessus, Lat.

    If the patient is not relieved, nor dies in eight days, the inflammation ends in a suppuration and an abscess in the lungs, and sometimes in some other part of the body. John Arbuthnot, of Diet.

    Lindanus conjectured it might be some hidden abscess in the mesentery, which, breaking some few days after, was discovered to be an apostem of the mesentery. Gideon Harvey, on Consumptions.

Wikipedia

  1. Abscess

    An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends beyond the swelling. Carbuncles and boils are types of abscess that often involve hair follicles, with carbuncles being larger.They are usually caused by a bacterial infection. Often many different types of bacteria are involved in a single infection. In many areas of the world, the most common bacteria present is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Rarely, parasites can cause abscesses; this is more common in the developing world. Diagnosis of a skin abscess is usually made based on what it looks like and is confirmed by cutting it open. Ultrasound imaging may be useful in cases in which the diagnosis is not clear. In abscesses around the anus, computer tomography (CT) may be important to look for deeper infection.Standard treatment for most skin or soft tissue abscesses is cutting it open and drainage. There appears to be some benefit from also using antibiotics. A small amount of evidence supports not packing the cavity that remains with gauze after drainage. Closing this cavity right after draining it rather than leaving it open may speed healing without increasing the risk of the abscess returning. Sucking out the pus with a needle is often not sufficient.Skin abscesses are common and have become more common in recent years. Risk factors include intravenous drug use, with rates reported as high as 65% among users. In 2005, in the United States, 3.2 million people went to the emergency department for an abscess. In Australia, around 13,000 people were hospitalized in 2008 with the condition.

ChatGPT

  1. abscess

    An abscess is a localized collection of pus in any part of the body, typically causing swelling and inflammation around it. It's caused by a bacterial infection and the body's immune response to fight the infection, resulting in the accumulation of dead cells, tissue, and bacteria, forming a cavity. Abscesses can occur on the skin surface or inside the body such as the liver, brain, or spinal cord and often are painful and warm to touch. Treatment can involve antibiotics or drainage of the pus to aid the healing process.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Abscessnoun

    a collection of pus or purulent matter in any tissue or organ of the body, the result of a morbid process

  2. Etymology: [L. abscessus a going away, gathering of humors, abscess, fr. abscessus, p. p. of absedere to go away; ab, abs + cedere to go off, retire. See Cede.]

Wikidata

  1. Abscess

    An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated within a tissue because of an inflammatory process in response to either an infectious process or other foreign materials. It is a defensive reaction of the tissue to prevent the spread of infectious materials to other parts of the body. The organisms or foreign materials kill the local cells, resulting in the release of cytokines. The cytokines trigger an inflammatory response, which draws large numbers of white blood cells to the area and increases the regional blood flow. The final structure of the abscess is an abscess wall, or capsule, that is formed by the adjacent healthy cells in an attempt to keep the pus from infecting neighboring structures. However, such encapsulation tends to prevent immune cells from attacking bacteria in the pus, or from reaching the causative organism or foreign object. Abscesses must be differentiated from empyemas, which are accumulations of pus in a preexisting rather than a newly formed anatomical cavity.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Abscess

    ab′ses, n. a collection of purulent matter within some tissue of the body. [L. abscessusabs, away, cedĕre, cessum, to go, to retreat.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Abscess

    Accumulation of purulent material in tissues, organs, or circumscribed spaces, usually associated with signs of infection.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of abscess in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of abscess in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of abscess in a Sentence

  1. David Marsh:

    My neck was like the size of a tennis ball, it was closing in on my throat. My wife took me to the ER and they said I had to be rushed to Grady [Memorial Hospital] to have emergency surgery. That’s where they cut the abscess, put a tube in through my mouth, through my neck for everything to drain out.

  2. Rona Barrett:

    The healthy, the strong individual, is the one who asks for help when he needs it. Whether he has an abscess on his knee or in his soul.

  3. Jim Oosterhuis:

    The inside of the abscess is very hard, and we want to determine what may be causing this, at this point, we simply don't know.

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Translations for abscess

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"abscess." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/abscess>.

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