cannula

American  

[kan-yuh-luh] / ˈkæn yə lə /

Sometimes canula

noun

Surgery.

cannulas, plural cannulae plural

1. a metal tube for insertion into the body to draw off fluid or to introduce medication.

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cannula British  

/ ˈkænjʊlə /

noun

1. surgery a narrow tube for insertion into a bodily cavity, as for draining off fluid, introducing medication, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cannulation
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• cannulas
  plural
• cannulae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cannula

First recorded in 1675–85; from New Latin, Latin: “small reed,” equivalent to cann(a) “reed, cane” + -ula diminutive suffix; see origin at cane, -ule

Compare meaning

How does cannula compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cannula vs. catheter

Explanation

In medicine, a cannula is a very thin tube that's used to deliver medicine. A patient undergoing surgery will often have a cannula inserted into a vein so that anesthesia can be administered. If you've ever had an IV in a hospital or doctor's office, you've had a cannula, which is nothing more than the flexible tube that fluids or medication flows through. Donating blood or having a blood test involves cannulas as well — in this case, a small amount of blood flows from your vein into the cannula. This is a Latin word that means "small reed or pipe," from canna, "reed or pipe."

Example Sentences

Cannula, kan′ū-la, n. a surgical tube, esp. that enclosing a trocar or perforator, and the breathing-tube inserted in the windpipe after tracheotomy.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Related Words

• cylinder
• duct
• pipe
• pipeline
• tunnel