What does perfuse mean?
Perfuse is a formal verb meaning to pour liquid over or through something, usually with the result that it becomes saturated. It can describe wetting fabric or soil, spreading liquid through vegetation, or circulating a fluid through living tissue. Its best-known technical use is in medicine: organs and tissues may be perfused with a preservation solution, oxygenated blood, or another fluid to maintain or examine them. The verb can also have a figurative force, suggesting that a place or audience is saturated with light, scent, language, or emotion, though such usage is literary rather than everyday. The related noun perfusion refers both to the process of passing fluid through a circulatory system and, in organ transplantation and surgery, to the controlled supply of blood or preservation fluid. Because perfuse sounds similar to profuse, it is worth remembering that profuse describes abundance, whereas perfuse describes the action of pouring liquid through or over something.
verbTo pour or cause liquid to flow over or through something, making it thoroughly wet. In medicine, it can also mean to circulate a fluid through an organ or tissue.
- To pour or cause a liquid to flow over or through something, making it saturated.
- In medicine, to circulate a fluid through an organ, tissue, or circulation system.
"The researchers perfused the tissue with a fluorescent dye to trace the blood vessels."
"The researchers perfused the tissue with a fluorescent dye to trace the blood vessels."
"The perfusion team perfused the donated kidney with cold preservation solution."
Perfuse comes from a Latin image of abundance: its roots literally suggest pouring out or spreading liquid over something.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does perfuse come from?
Perfuse derives from Latin perfundere, formed from the prefix per- and fundere, both of which relate to pouring. Its past participle perfusus supplied the English form in the 17th century. Related English words such as infuse, effuse, and profuse belong to the same broader Latin family associated with pouring or spreading.
Related word forms
How perfuse is actually used
The verb is relatively formal and technical outside medical contexts. In medicine, its established forms include the related noun perfusion, as in organ perfusion.
Easily confused with perfuse
Perfuse is a verb meaning to pour liquid over or through something, whereas profuse is an adjective meaning lavishly abundant or excessive.