Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Profuse expectoration of putrid matter.
  • noun An abnormal pus-containing cavity, usually in a lung, caused by deterioration of tissue.
  • noun The pus contained in such a cavity.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In medicine, a cavity in the lung, resulting from a pathological process, and containing pus.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An abscess cavity in the lungs.
  • noun An abscess in any other parenchymatous organ.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine An abscess cavity in the lungs or any other parenchymal organ.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin, gathering of pus, ulcer, from vomere, to vomit, discharge; see vomit.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin, from vomere to throw up, vomit.

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Examples

Comments

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  • 1. a cavity, usually in the lungs, containing pus.

    2. the pus content of such a cavity.

    November 6, 2009