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contusion

contusion

56 6.9
An injury that damages the area under unbroken skin and causes a bruise
  • noun
  • /kənˈtuːʒən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : contusión
  • The athlete received treatment for a painful contusion on his thigh.

Examples

Synonyms

injury
vscontusion
1.4

Harm to the body caused by an accident or attack

is narrower meaning harm that does not break skin but discolors tissue
bruise
vscontusion
266 1.6

A dark area on the skin that appears after a hit

is the term emphasizing internal tissue damage causing that skin darkening
bruising
vscontusion
64 2.4

Dark purple or yellow marks on the skin after an injury

focuses on the underlying tissue harm that produces this skin darkening
lesion
vscontusion
  • Specialized
60 7.0

An area of damaged body tissue caused by injury or disease

is limited to damage that leaves skin intact yet causes internal darkening
ecchymosis
vscontusion
  • Specialized
3 9.9

A dark mark on the skin from bleeding under it after an injury

refers more to the tissue damage that leads to that bleeding

How Injured

fracture
364 4.1
hematoma
  • Specialized
31 7.5
contusion
  • Specialized
56 6.9
scratch
203 1.6

Surface Forms

contusion singular
contusions plural

Morphology

contusion = contuse (semi-transparent) = contuse + ion

The noun is regularly formed from the verb 'contuse' + '-ion', but 'contuse' is relatively uncommon, so many learners cannot derive the meaning.

Etymology

Contusion comes from the Latin verb contundere, which means 'to beat'. A helpful image is a hard hit that does not break the skin but damages the tissue underneath and makes a 'bruise', which is exactly what a contusion is.