Etymology

abscess

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Today it means: A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue. Full definition →

First used First attested in the mid 16ᵗʰ century.Latin abscessus
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The story

  1. Latin · borrowed fromabscessus“a going away; gathering of humors, abscess”
  2. English todayabscess

Borrowed from Latin abscessus (“a going away; gathering of humors, abscess”), from abscēdō (“go away, depart”), from abs (“away from”) + cēdō (“go”). See cede.

First known use, by meaning

  • First attested in the mid 16ᵗʰ century. A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.