Sanguineous

Sanguineous is an adjective that describes anything relating to blood, or resembling blood in color or consistency. The word derives from Latin sanguineus, from sanguis, "blood," and entered English through medical usage in the late Middle Ages. In general description, sanguineous can refer to materials that contain blood or have a blood-like red color, such as tissue or exudates observed in clinical settings.

In medicine, the term is commonly used to characterize drainage or exudate from wounds. Sanguineous drainage is fresh, bright red and thick with red blood cells; it can indicate active bleeding or a high degree of vascularity in the tissue. By contrast, serosanguineous describes a mixture of clear serous fluid and blood, appearing pink or light red. Purely sanguineous (bloody) discharge is distinct from purulent drainage, which contains pus.

In anatomy and pathology notes, sanguineous might refer to tissues with a rich blood supply or to blood-containing specimens. Outside medical contexts, sanguineous is used in descriptive prose and color descriptions to denote a blood-red hue.

Despite its color association, the word is more technical than common in everyday speech, and care should be taken not to confuse it with sanguine, which broadly means hopeful or confident.

See also: sanguine, serosanguineous.