Serosities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An accumulation of fluid in a tissue or body cavity that may indicate an underlying pathological condition
2. The presence of serous fluid in tissues, often resulting from inflammation or injury that leads to an excessive output of fluid
3. A condition marked by the formation of serous fluid collections, which can arise due to various medical conditions or injuries

Etymology: Serosities is simply the plural of "serosity," so the word's story is really the story of its stem. "Serous," the adjective it rests on, describes something thin and watery, like the clear fluid that serum is made of. English took "serosity" from French "sérosité," and the French form is the clearer guide to its meaning: a watery, serum-like quality, which in medicine came to name accumulations of such fluid in body tissues or cavities. The plural form simply counts separate collections of that fluid, as a physician might when describing several swellings or pockets of it in different parts of the body.