abscess

Where does the word "abscess" come from? It comes from Latin abscessus, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Abscess’s story begins in Latin: abscessus meant “a going away, a withdrawal.” Literally a going away, from abscedere (to withdraw), describing matter drawn away from healthy tissue. It reached English by 1600s as abscess. First recorded in 1574 in a translation by the clergyman Thomas Newton, as Latin medical works were turned into English. Today, abscess means a swollen area of tissue containing an accumulation of pus.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient abscessus "a going away, a withdrawal", literally a going away, from abscedere (to withdraw), describing matter drawn away from healthy tissue.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s abscess "a swollen pocket of pus caused by infection", first recorded in 1574 in a translation by the clergyman Thomas Newton, as Latin medical works were turned into English.