suppurate

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that “suppurate” described the after-effect of a satisfying dinner. A term for how you satisfied, sated, and sedated you feel when you sit on the couch after, say, a Thanksgiving meal, opening your belt. But no: “suppurate” is the fancy word we reserve to describe pustular discharge. Slimy, often freakishly yellow, leakage. The putrid rot that spills from a burst boil or infected blister.

It comes from the Latin term “puris” which means “pus” though there’s nothing pure about it, since pus is surely disgusting. I have a friend who once argued with me that “pus” is incorrect; that it’s actually spelled “puss.” I asked him how his cat was doing. He said “Fine, she’s even purring on my lap right now.” If I was smart, I would have replied “Sup-purr-ating, maybe.”