"of the nature of a pustule," 1739; see pustule + -ar.
Entries linking to pustular
pustule n.
"small, inflammatory sore or tumor containing pus," late 14c., from Old French pustule (13c.) and directly from Latin pustula "blister, pimple" (from PIE imitative root *pu- (1) "blow, swell," on notion of "inflated area;" source also of Sanskrit pupphusah "lung," Greek physa "breath, blast, wind, bubble," Lithuanian pučiu, pūsti "to blow, swell," Old Church Slavonic puchati "to blow"). Compare emphysema. Related: Pustulant; pustulate; pustulation.
-ar
word-formation element meaning "pertaining to, of the nature of," from Latin -arem, -aris "of the kind of, belonging to," a secondary form (by dissimilation) of -alis, used after syllables with an -l- (such as insularis for *insulalis, stellaris for *stellalis).