rubor n a response of body tissues to injury or irritation; characterized by pain and swelling and redness and heat Usage(s) Pathology textbooks take refuge in rolling Latin, describing inflammation by its signs: rubor, calor, tumor, dolor (redness, heat, swelling, pain). But they damage the vessels' walls, causing dilation and rubor, and letting out white cells and antibody proteins. Synonym(s) inflammation redness