What does suppurate mean?
Suppurate is a formal verb meaning to produce, release, or become filled with pus. It is most often used in medicine to describe an infected wound, abscess, or lesion that develops a buildup of pus and may eventually drain. The word can also carry the broader figurative sense of allowing infection, corruption, or a problem to fester. In clinical writing, it is more precise and formal than expressions such as “get pus” or “become infected,” while retaining the implication of a condition that has progressed beyond simple inflammation. Because suppuration can indicate an underlying infection that needs treatment, the verb is often associated with abscesses, wounds, and tissue infection. Its memorable image is a wound producing and expelling pus, reflecting the body’s attempt to isolate and remove harmful material.
verbTo produce or discharge pus, especially from an infected wound or abscess. It may also refer to tissue becoming filled with pus.
- To produce or discharge pus.
- To become filled or affected with pus.
- To fester as a result of infection or decay.
"The infected wound continued to suppurate despite treatment."
"The abscess began to suppurate and required drainage."
"Without appropriate treatment, the infection may suppurate and spread into surrounding tissue."
Suppurate is the precise medical verb for what happens when pus forms: the body is literally pushing infection out through a wound.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suppurate come from?
The verb comes from Latin suppurāre, meaning “to cause to suppurate” or “to become pus-filled.” The formation is associated with Latin pūs, “pus,” which is borrowed from Greek pýos. English later developed related forms such as suppuration and suppurative, used in medical contexts.
Related word forms
How suppurate is actually used
This is a formal, chiefly medical verb. It is more common in clinical writing than in everyday conversation, where “fester” or “get infected” may be used instead.
Easily confused with suppurate
Suppurate means to produce or discharge pus, whereas supplicate means to make a formal request or petition.