empyema

noun

em·​py·​ema ˌem-ˌpī-ˈē-mə How to pronounce empyema (audio)
plural empyemata ˌem-ˌpī-ˈē-mə-tə How to pronounce empyema (audio) or empyemas
: the presence of pus in a bodily cavity
empyemic adjective

Examples of empyema in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Francis had died of empyema, a condition of the lungs that is often associated with pneumonia. Claire Healy, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 Pediatric intracranial infections investigated by the CDC – which include pus pooling in abscesses or empyemas around the brain – are a very rare but serious complication that has been seen from Streptococcus bacteria. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 1 June 2023 There were three cases of empyema at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in both December 2017 and December 2018; in December 2019, there were six. Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, 14 Jan. 2020 The infection had formed an abscess called an empyema, which triggered the seizures. Sandra G. Boodman, chicagotribune.com, 19 Dec. 2017 Other symptoms of a subdural empyema include headaches and lethargy. Sandra G. Boodman, chicagotribune.com, 19 Dec. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Greek empyēma, from empyein to suppurate, from em- en- entry 2 + pyon pus — more at foul entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of empyema was circa 1605

Dictionary Entries Near empyema

Cite this Entry

“Empyema.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empyema. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

empyema

noun
em·​py·​ema ˌem-ˌpī-ˈē-mə How to pronounce empyema (audio)
plural empyemata -mət-ə How to pronounce empyema (audio) also empyemas
: the presence of pus in a bodily cavity (as the pleural cavity)

called also pyothorax

empyemic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on empyema

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