phlebotomy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of phlebotomy
First recorded in 1350–1400; earlier flebotomye, phlebothomy, from Middle French flebotomie, from Medieval Latin phlebotomia, Late Latin, from Greek phlebotomía; equivalent to phlebo- + -tomy; replacing Middle English fleobotomie, from Medieval Latin fleobotomia, variant of phlebotomia
Explanation
Doctors can tell a lot from looking at a patient's blood, and in order to do that, they depend on phlebotomy — the medical specialty of collecting blood using a needle. In some cases, phlebotomy can help to diagnose a patient with a particular illness. The person who inserts the needle, draws the blood, labels the test tubes, and puts a bandage on the patient's arm is called a phlebotomist. The original definition of phlebotomy was simply "bloodletting," from the Greek roots phleps, "vein," and tomia, "cutting off." Historically, early phlebotomy involved using leeches to suck "toxins" from patients' blood.
Vocabulary lists containing phlebotomy
Ghost
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My Sister's Keeper
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An American Plague
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
From 22 April in addition to the urgent appointments at Hillbrow visitors will have access to vaccinations, phlebotomy and weight loss clinics, memory assessment services, and physiotherapy.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025
For example, Michigan’s public website says that fewer than three students were enrolled in MedCerts’s phlebotomy technician program for the most recent one-year time period available.
From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2023
Witnesses often spent hours on the tedious minutiae of finance, chemistry, technology and phlebotomy.
From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2021
I also did a whole series of what I call phlebotomy horror stories, which I loved doing.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 28, 2019
The practice of phlebotomy was considered an essential part of the doctor's work.
From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 1, January 1916 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
