lividity

noun

li·​vid·​i·​ty li-ˈvi-də-tē 

: the quality or state of being livid

specifically : reddish- to bluish-purple discoloration of the skin due to the settling and pooling of blood following death

If her body was contorted for four to five hours after death, Lee should have displayed some lividity on her side.

—Cristina Everett

Synonyms

• anger
• angriness
• birse [chiefly Scottish]
• choler
• furor
• fury
• indignation
• irateness
• ire
• lividness
• mad
• madness
• mood [archaic]
• outrage
• rage
• spleen
• wrath
• wrathfulness

Examples of lividity in a Sentence

the level of the boss's lividity was something I'd never seen outside of cartoons—I almost expected steam to rise out of his head

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

lividity

noun

li·​vid·​i·​ty liv-ˈid-ət-ē 

plural lividities

: the condition of being livid

postmortem lividity