matterate: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Obsolete / RareMedical / Historical / Archaic
Quick answer
What does “matterate” mean?
To generate pus or discharge as part of a healing process.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To generate pus or discharge as part of a healing process.
To fester; to develop suppuration (the formation of pus).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No contemporary difference; both variants treat it as an archaic term. Historical texts may show preference for '-ise' (matterise) in British contexts, but '-ate' is the dominant recorded form.
Connotations
Medical/clinical, often with negative connotations of infection or unresolved illness.
Frequency
Effectively zero in both varieties. Found only in historical medical texts or deliberate archaisms.
Grammar
How to Use “matterate” in a Sentence
The wound matterated.The sore began to matterate.It caused the ulcer to matterate.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “matterate” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The surgeon noted the laceration had begun to matterate.
- Without proper care, it will surely matterate.
American English
- The puncture wound matterated after a few days.
- They applied a poultice to draw out the matterating humors.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in historical analyses of medical texts.
Everyday
Not used; 'fester' or 'get infected' are used instead.
Technical
Obsolete medical term; 'suppurate' is the modern clinical term.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “matterate”
- Using it in modern contexts.
- Misspelling as 'materiate', 'matteriate'.
- Confusing it with 'macerate' (to soften by soaking).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it is obsolete. It is recorded in historical dictionaries and medical texts, primarily from the 17th-19th centuries.
They are synonyms, but 'fester' is the common, current word. 'Matterate' is archaic and more narrowly medical, specifically meaning 'to produce pus'.
Only if you are writing about historical language or quoting an old source. In all other contexts, use 'fester' or 'suppurate'.
It functions exclusively as a verb.
To generate pus or discharge as part of a healing process.
Matterate is usually medical / historical / archaic in register.
Matterate: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmatəreɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmædəˌreɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(Obsolete/Figurative) To matterate with resentment.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: MATTER (as in pus) + -ATE (verb ending). A wound that 'matters' creates pus = it matterates.
Conceptual Metaphor
PROBLEMS ARE WOUNDS (e.g., 'a matterating grievance' – an old, festering problem).
Practice
Quiz
Which word has most directly replaced 'matterate' in modern medical English?