Definition of "sepsis" [‖Sep•sis]

• The presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in the blood or tissues. (noun)
• The poisoned condition resulting from the presence of pathogens or their toxins, as in septicemia. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I learned that sepsis is the tenth most common cause of death overall, in North America."
• "She also had a blood infection -- known as "sepsis" -- that her body could not fight off."
• "Staph can cause skin infection as well as more serious conditions such as pneumonia or sepsis, which is blood poisoning."