Usage Note
Abcès ends in -ès, which is silent; the word sounds like ab-SEH. The phrase crever l'abcès ('to lance the abscess') is a very common figurative expression meaning to confront and resolve a festering problem head-on. The plural is identical: les abcès.
Examples
"Le dentiste a drainé l'abcès sans douleur."
Natural Translation
The dentist drained the abscess painlessly.

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