Purulent
/ˈpjʊr.jʊ.lənt/noun
Producing or containing pus.
Did you know?Purulent descends from Latin *purulentus*, built from *pus* (“pus”), and it shares that ancient bodily root with words like *suppurate* and *pus* itself—language preserving the body’s most unsettling fluids.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*p(e)us-
“A root associated with rotting, pus, or decay.”
Latin
Latin
pus
“Pus; bodily matter from infection.”
Latin
Latin
purulentus
“Full of pus; suppurating.”
Old French
Old French
purulent
“Purulent; full of pus.”
Middle English
English
purulente
“Having or producing pus.”
Modern English
English
purulent
“Producing or containing pus.”