Pus
/pʌs/noun
A thick, yellowish-white fluid formed in infected tissue.
Did you know?English *pus* is one of those rare medical words that goes back to Proto-Indo-European, showing how long humans have had a name for infection and decay.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peu-
“to swell, swell up; to rot or fester in related developments”
Latin
Latin
pus, puris
“pus, matter from a sore”
Late Latin
Latin
pūsus / pūs
“pus”
Old French
Old French
pus
“pus”
Middle English
English
pus
“pus, matter from an infected wound”
Modern English
English
pus
“a thick fluid produced in infection”
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