pustule
Americannoun
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Pathology. a small elevation of the skin containing pus.
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any pimplelike or blisterlike swelling or elevation.
noun
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a small inflamed elevated area of skin containing pus
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any small distinct spot resembling a pimple or blister
Other Word Forms
- pustular adjective
- pustuled adjective
Etymology
Origin of pustule
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pūstula, pūsula a pimple, blister; akin to Greek phȳsaléos inflated
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bacterial DNA also suggest that the ancient plague victim didn’t develop pustules or infect his family.
From Washington Post
His face adorned with boils and pustules, all freshly bleeding, he upbraids Joan for her battlefield address, saying she ought to speak less of the divine and more of looting opportunities for victorious soldiers.
From New York Times
Elsewhere in the world, the disease—with its fever and eruption of pustules—killed about 30% of people infected.
From Science Magazine
Retinoids are anti-inflammatory and reduce pimples of all kinds — from small blackheads to larger pustules.
From Washington Post
The museum says that “since coming off display the fatberg has started to grow an unusual and toxic mold in the form of visible yellow pustules, which has been identified as aspergillus.”
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
