diathermy

American

[dahy-uh-thur-mee] / ˈdaɪ əˌθɜr mi /

Also diathermia

noun

Medicine/Medical.

the production of heat in body tissues by electric currents, for therapeutic purposes.

diathermy British

/ ˈdaɪəˌθɜːmɪ, ˌdaɪəˈθɜːmɪə /

noun

local heating of the body tissues with an electric current for medical or surgical purposes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of diathermy

< German Diathermie (1909). See dia-, -thermy

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.

Hogan had been taking diathermy treatments three times a week and lifting weights on the edge of his bed at night, and sleeping with heat pads.

From Golf Digest • Mar. 26, 2020

In fact, intensities of 103 to 104 W/m2 are commonly used for deep-heat treatments called ultrasound diathermy.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

In both athletics and physical therapy, ultrasound diathermy is most often applied to injured or overworked muscles to relieve pain and improve flexibility.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Conventional diathermy, with its 20-ft.-plus waves, heats larger areas.

From Time Magazine Archive

He left, returning a few minutes later with a portable apparatus somewhat resembling its progenitor, the diathermy generator.

From In the Orbit of Saturn by Starzl, Roman Frederick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023