Standard Lemma guide

pustule

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpʌstjuːl/
  • /ˈpʌst͡ʃuːl/
  • /ˈpʌst͡ʃəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: dermatology, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A pimple filled with pus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Anything like a pustule, on plants or animals; a small blister.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a small inflamed elevation of skin containing pus; a blister filled with pus

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: blister, bulla, bleb, pimple, hickey, zit

Narrower terms: pock

History

Etymology

From Middle English pustule, from Old French pustule, from Latin pustula (“inflamed sore, blister”).

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: пъ́пка (pǎ́pka) — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 疱 (pào) — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Dutch: puist — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Dutch: etterblaasje — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Finnish: märkärakkula — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Finnish: pustula — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Finnish: pusteli — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • German: Pustel — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Irish: puchóid — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Irish: goirín — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Italian: pustola — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Portuguese: pústula — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Romanian: pustulă — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Spanish: pústula — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Tagalog: burog — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Ottoman Turkish: چبان (çıban) — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Ottoman Turkish: خراج (hurac) — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Ottoman Turkish: قبارجق (kabarcık) — a small accumulation of pus in the epidermis or dermis
  • Bulgarian: гно́йна пъ́пка (gnójna pǎ́pka) — a pimple filled with pus
  • Bulgarian: пустула (pustula) — a pimple filled with pus
  • Czech: pustula — a pimple filled with pus
  • Czech: vřídek — a pimple filled with pus
  • Czech: neštovička — a pimple filled with pus
  • Romanian: pustulă — a pimple filled with pus
  • Spanish: pústula — a pimple filled with pus