pus
/pʌs
/noun [mass noun]
A thick yellowish or greenish opaque liquid produced in infected tissue, consisting of dead white blood cells and bacteria with tissue debris and serum.There is a urethral discharge, yellow pus, mucus and pus or clear mucus at the opening....
- Remarkably, he inoculated himself with pus from a suppurating bubo to fortify himself against bubonic plague.
- The pus is not infected but consists of white blood cells.
Synonyms
matter, suppuration, discharge, secretion
rare sanies
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin.
foul from Old English:
The Old English word foul comes from an ancient root shared by Latin pus (adopted into late Middle English) Latin putere ‘to stink’ (source of LME putrid), and the original sense was ‘stinking or disgusting’. Foul play indicating unfair conduct or treachery is recorded from the late 16th century, and sports players have been able to complain of ‘a foul’ since the 1750s. See also fair