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purulence

purulence

9.9
Thick yellow or green liquid that comes from an infected wound
  • noun
  • /ˈpjʊrələns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : purulencia
  • The patient's cough was accompanied by green purulence in the sputum.

Examples

  • Laboratory tests confirmed the purulence in the infected area was due to a bacterial infection.

  • Incision and drainage were performed, with moderate purulence obtained.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Incision and drainage were attempted, but again, no purulence was found.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Necrotizing fasciitis, along with lower abdominal wall purulence, was noted.

    Academic text (2007)
  • We attempted needle aspiration of the left peritonsillar space, but it yielded no purulence.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Nasal endoscopy revealed moderate chronic rhinitis without purulence or polyps.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The nasal mucosa is usually pale, friable, and granular and is often accompanied by purulence or crusting.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The doctor noticed significant purulence in the wound during the examination.

Synonyms

pus
vspurulence
18 3.9

Thick yellow or green liquid that comes from an infected wound

describes the condition or production of that fluid not the substance itself
suppuration
vspurulence
  • Specialized
1 9.9

The process when pus comes out of a wound because of infection

refers to presence or production rather than the ongoing process
purulency
vspurulence
  • Specialized
9.9

Pus that forms in a wound or body part during an infection

is the same meaning but in a different word form

How Purulent

suppuration
  • Specialized
1 9.9
purulence
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

purulence singular
purulences plural

Morphology

purulence = purulent (opaque) = purulent + ence

Formed by a standard adjectival-to-nominal derivation from 'purulent' using the suffix '-ence', so the morphological step is regular.

Etymology

Purulence comes from the Latin word pus, which means 'pus', the thick fluid made by an infection. So purulence simply means the presence of pus in a wound, which is why doctors see it as a sign of infection.