pus

[ puhs ]

noun

1. a yellow-white, more or less viscid substance produced by suppuration and found in abscesses, sores, etc., consisting of a liquid plasma in which white blood cells are suspended.

pus

/ pʌs /

noun

1. the yellow or greenish fluid product of inflammation, composed largely of dead leucocytes, exuded plasma, and liquefied tissue cells

pus

/ pŭs /

1. A thick, yellowish-white liquid that forms in infected body tissues, consisting of white blood cells, dead tissue, and cellular debris.

Other Words From

• puslike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pus¹

1535–45; < Latin; akin to Greek pýon pus. See pyo-

Word History and Origins

Origin of pus¹

C16: from Latin pūs; related to Greek puon pus

Example Sentences

Pus from the sores of an infected person are filled with contagious virus.

From Los Angeles Times

Pus filled buboes then grow on parts of the body -- generally in the armpit and groin area -- and a fever develops.

From Fox News

“My little cousin got significant sunburn blisters. Pus and everything. He couldn’t move two days later.”

From Washington Post

Pus or uninfected fluid alters the eardrum’s mobility and changes the reflected sound.

From Washington Times

And it's not alone, there's the allure of Woman's 20-Year-Old Cyst Finally Gets Popped or the disgustingly named The Pus Cannon.

From BBC