noun
effusion
noun
1
A sudden, uncontrolled outpouring of speech or emotion.
"His letter was full of effusions of gratitude."
2
A liquid that has leaked or seeped out, or the act of it doing so; in medicine, fluid that has escaped into a body cavity.
"Doctors drained the effusion that had built up around his knee."
How to Use Effusion
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn outpouring — either of emotion in speech, or of fluid escaping somewhere it shouldn't.
When to use it
The medical sense (fluid in a body cavity) is common in clinical language; the emotional sense feels a bit literary or old-fashioned.
Word Forms
effusions plural
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His letter was full of _____ of gratitude.
Etymology
From Latin effusio, "a pouring out," related to effundere, "to pour forth."