symptom consisting of a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue
A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.
To form a pus-filled cavity, typically from an infection.
The word comes from the Latin abscessus, meaning "a going away" or a gathering of humors that forms an abscess. It is derived from the verb abscēdō, which combines abs (away from) and cēdō (to go).