What does phlegmon mean?
A phlegmon is a localized area of acute inflammation, particularly affecting connective tissue and producing marked swelling. It is usually associated with infection and may occur without a collection of pus, distinguishing it from a conventional abscess. In contemporary clinical writing, the word is specialized and relatively uncommon, but it remains useful when describing spreading or diffuse inflammation. Its history is closely connected with the ancient medical doctrine of the four humours: the term derives from Greek phlegmōn, a swelling associated with phlegm, the bodily humour believed to cause such inflammation. Older medical texts sometimes employed “phlegmon” more broadly for inflammation or swelling in any part of the body. Outside medical and historical contexts, the word may appear chiefly in specialist terminology, so its appearance is more likely to signal an inflammatory condition than an ordinary bruise or generalized swelling.
nounA localized swelling caused by acute inflammation, especially of connective tissue, often without the formation of pus. In historical medical writing, the term was also used more broadly for inflammation.
- An acute inflammatory swelling of tissue, especially connective tissue, without necessarily involving a collection of pus.
- Historically, any swelling or inflammation of the body.
"The surgeon identified a spreading phlegmon in the patient's thigh."
"Antibiotics were administered to prevent the phlegmon from spreading."
"The term phlegmon was used in nineteenth-century medicine for severe inflammatory swelling."
The plural is used in medical writing when referring to more than one phlegmon.
"The scan revealed two separate phlegmons requiring drainage."
A phlegmon takes its name from the ancient belief that inflammation was caused by an excess of phlegm, one of the four humours.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does phlegmon come from?
The word comes from Greek phlegmōn, a swelling or inflammation associated with phlegm. It is related to phlegma, the mucus or bodily fluid that was considered one of the four humours in ancient medicine. The Greek term passed into Latin and then into English, where its meaning narrowed over time from inflammation or swelling generally to a particular form of acute inflammatory swelling.
Related word forms
How phlegmon is actually used
This is chiefly a medical term and is uncommon in general modern English. Its historical use was broader than its present clinical usage.
Easily confused with phlegmon
Phlegm is mucus or a bodily fluid, whereas a phlegmon is a swollen area of inflamed tissue.
An abscess is a localized collection of pus, while a phlegmon is an acute inflammatory swelling that may occur without pus.