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Definition of abscess noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

abscess

noun
 
/ˈæbses/
 
/ˈæbses/
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  1. a swollen (= larger than normal) and painful area on your skin or in your body, full of a thick yellow liquid (called pus)
    • a painful abscess on the gum
    Extra Examples
    • I developed an abscess on my neck.
    • Once an abscess has burst it should be bathed with antiseptic liquid.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + abscess
    • have
    • develop
    • get
    abscess + verb
    • burst
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin abscessus ‘a going away’, from the verb abscedere, from ab- ‘away from’ + cedere ‘go’, referring to the elimination of infected matter via the pus.
See abscess in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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