Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A small inflamed elevation of the skin that is filled with pus; a pimple.
- n. A small swelling similar to a blister or pimple.
- n. Something likened to an inflamed, pus-filled lesion: "a cool glimpse of green between hot pustules of sooty sprawl” ( Nicholas Proffitt).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In medicine, a small inflammatory tumor containing pus; a small pimple containing pus.
- n. In botany, a slight elevation like a pimple or little blister.
- n. In zoology: A small rounded elevation of surface, like a blister; a papule or pimple.
- n. A spot of color larger than a dot, and suggestive of a blister.
- n. One of the swellings produced in the leaves and stems of plants by Cystopus, Synchytrium, and other fungi.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A vesicle or an elevation of the cuticle with an inflamed base, containing pus.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a small inflamed elevation of skin containing pus; a blister filled with pus
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pustula, blister.
Examples
“This paranoid pustule is able to find a liberal conspiracy lurking behind any mundane occurrence, even attributing Obama’s selection as Time’s Person of the Year, an event as predictable as sunrise, to a pay-to-play scheme.”
“One of the first objects then of this pursuit, as I have observed, should be, to learn how to distinguish with accuracy between that peculiar pustule which is the true cow pock, and that which is spurious.”
The Harvard Classics Volume 38 Scientific Papers (Physiology, Medicine, Surgery, Geology)
“One of the first objects then of this pursuit, as I have observed, should be, to learn how to distinguish with accuracy between that peculiar pustule which is the true cow-pock, and that which is spurious.”
II. Further Observations on the Variolae Vaccinae, or Cow-Pox. 1799
“pustule" had formed and the arm had become infected.”
“Fuckhead, calling someone a dimwitted fossil is an insult, you ignorant pustule.”
“Government, both federal and state, should have saved their time if a pustule in the stream of competence such as is the Tea Party can succeed in convincing the public that all law post to the Tenth is illegal and unconstitutional.”
The Huffington Post: Stephen Herrington: Open Wide, Minimum Wage Is Good For You
“But as long as elected Republicans continue to be the conduit by which megacapitalists manipulate the god-fearing, intelligence-hating base, the GOP will continue to be the pustule it's become.”
GOP: Dems' health care reform plan 'a prescription for disaster'
“Weedy John keeps being called a walking pustule by everyone, though Joseph Drake's skin seems to be a pimple-free zone.”
The Guardian: Reasons to Be Pretty; Juno and the Paycock; The Lion in Winter – review
“A single red fire ant can bite and sting numerous times, causing immediate burning and itching; over time, a white pustule will appear at the bite site.”
The Huffington Post: Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D.: The Hidden Dangers of Bug Bites
“Rove is a hypocritical, entirely partisan, bubbling, pus-filled pustule.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pustule’.
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My Little Phonies
Names for the next generation of My Little Ponies. Inspired by Star's list.
juggernaught, flamboyant, cuddly maggot, astrobleme, agroof, windburn, poshlost, crucifer, feedbag, dunderwhelp, nebelwerfer, bliss ninny and 445 more...
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yum. delicious description
sycophantic, doughface, unctuous, sebaceous, oleaginous, diabolic, ostent, sudatory, bulbous, pustule, bauble, trinket and 6 more...
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Body Horror
Scary medical words
suture, flense, hypodermic, aenesthetize, tightlace, stitch, graft, guthook, syringe, lancet, fleam, scarificator and 1 more...
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Words in which "u" is pronounced "yu"
cute, uniform, puny, municipal, butte, fume, perfume, puke, cucumber, huge, demure, cube and 56 more...
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Ugliest Sounding Words
List words that sound ugly, regardless of meaning
kumquat, milk, meal, jizz, bubonic, fester, goulash, sasquatch, carbuncle, sieve, onomatopoeia, burlesque and 29 more...
yarb A great pustule of dread burst silently between my ears.
- Chris Morris, Blue Jam, Series II, Episode II Jun 16, 2009
sionnach See also pus jewel Dec 4, 2008
uselessness *groan* Nov 1, 2007
maire he wanted to get his boil lanced before christmas, but the dr. insisted that he wait pustule... Nov 1, 2007