fluctuant
1
9.1
- adjective
- /ˈflʌk.tʃu.ənt/
- Specialized
- The doctor noted that the lump was fluctuant, indicating it was filled with fluid.
Examples
-
If prompt clinical improvement does not occur or if the swelling becomes fluctuant, incision and drainage should be performed.
Academic text (2010) -
The nasal mass was 2 cm in diameter, painless, fluctuant, and not tender (figure 1).
Academic text (2001) -
However, the mass did not resolve, and it subsequently became fluctuant.
Academic text (2004) -
Typically, a fluctuant swelling is felt deep to the sternocleidomastoid at the junction of its upper third and lower two thirds.
Academic text (2007) -
Most tuberculous cervical infections are painless, rubbery nodes, but up to 10% of patients will present with a fluctuant mass, and 5% will have draining sinuses.
Academic text (1995) -
During the examination, she discovered a fluctuant swelling that prompted further tests.
-
He described the fluctuant mass under his skin as soft and easily compressed.
Synonyms
28
3.0
Soft and easy to squeeze, often a little wet and spongy
1
2.8
Easy to press and feels like a sponge
1
7.4
Soft and a little wet so you can squeeze it easily
1
2.8
Easy to press by hand to change shape or let out what is inside
Feels squishy and a little wet when pressed
Antonyms
How Fluctuant
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Fluctuant comes from the Latin root fluctu- meaning 'flow' or 'wave', the same idea you find in the common word fluid. So something fluctuant is like a soft thing that can 'flow' or move and change shape when pressed, which is why doctors use it for a fluid-filled swelling and why we also say markets or feelings can be fluctuant when they change up and down over time.