1. The state of being turgid.
2. Biology. The normal fullness or tension produced by the fluid content of blood vessels, capillaries, and plant or animal cells.

[Late Latin, from Latin turgēre, to be swollen.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.