Pap test

American  

[pap test] / ˈpæp ˌtɛst /

Or pap test

noun

1. a test for cancer of the cervix, consisting of the staining of cervical cells taken in a cervical or vaginal smear Pap smear, or pap smear for examination of exfoliated cells.

2. a vaginal Pap smear used to evaluate estrogen levels.

3. an examination of exfoliated cells in any body fluid, as sputum or urine, for cancer cells.

---

Pap test British  

/ pæp /

noun

1. another name for cervical smear

2. a similar test for precancerous cells in other organs

---

Etymology

Origin of Pap test

First recorded in 1955–60; named after George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), U.S. cytologist, born in Greece, who developed the staining method

Example Sentences

Screening guidelines have long recommended HPV testing in conjunction with the Pap test, and randomized clinical trials have shown it results in better detection, fewer false positives and decreased mortality than Pap smears alone.

From Scientific American • Nov. 17, 2021

She said she had a Pap test that came back negative.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2013

If you account for population growth since the 1940s, the Pap test has reduced cervical cancer mortality by more than 90 percent.

From Slate • Sep. 27, 2011

There is no reliable and easy-to-administer early detection test for ovarian cancer comparable to the Pap test for cervical cancer.

From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2011

Many tests are less reliable: a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, for example, suggests that the well-known Pap test for cervical cancer is only 75 percent accurate.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos