What does empyemic mean?
Empyemic is a specialist medical adjective meaning of, relating to, or affected with empyema. Empyema is a condition in which pus or infected material collects in a body cavity, most often the space between the lung and the wall of the chest. The adjective therefore occurs in terms such as empyemic pleuritis, empyemic effusion, and empyemic abscess, where it identifies the condition as involving a collection of pus. Although the word may appear in clinical and scientific writing, it is not normally used in everyday conversation. Its conspicuous connection with pus makes it unusually direct: empyemic belongs to the specialized vocabulary of suppuration and infection, alongside terms such as purulent and suppurative. The word is worth knowing chiefly for precise medical reading, where distinguishing an empyemic collection from other forms of inflammation or fluid accumulation can be important.
adjectiveOf, relating to, or affected with empyema, especially the accumulation of pus in a body cavity.
- Of, relating to, or affected with empyema, especially pus accumulating in a body cavity.
"The patient was treated with drainage and antibiotics for empyemic pleuritis."
"The surgeon drained the empyemic cavity and sent samples for culture."
"The specimen was examined to identify the organisms responsible for the empyemic infection."
Greek empȳēma meant “pus,” so empyemic points with unusual precision to the presence of infected, pus-filled material in a body cavity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does empyemic come from?
The English adjective was formed within the Latinate medical vocabulary from empyema. Empyema comes from Greek ἐμπύημα (empȳēma), meaning “pus” or “abscess,” and is related to ἐμπύειν (empȳein), “to suppurate.” English subsequently developed forms such as empyematic and empyematous alongside the specialized adjective empyemic.
How empyemic is actually used
This is a highly specialized, chiefly medical adjective. It is uncommon in general prose and normally appears in technical discussion of empyema or related infections.
Easily confused with empyemic
Empyema is the noun for a collection of pus in a body cavity, whereas empyemic is the adjective describing that condition or something associated with it.