1 definition found From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]: Abscess \Ab"scess\, noun; pl. {Abscesses}. [L. abscessus a going away, gathering of humors, abscess, fr. abscessus, p. p. of absedere to go away; ab, abs + cedere to go off, retire. See {Cede}.] (Med.) A collection of pus or purulent matter in any tissue or organ of the body, the result of a morbid process. {Cold abscess}, an abscess of slow formation, unattended with the pain and heat characteristic of ordinary abscesses, and lasting for years without exhibiting any tendency towards healing; a chronic abscess.

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