colonoscopy

American  

[koh-luh-nos-kuh-pee] / ˌkoʊ ləˈnɒs kə pi /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

colonoscopies plural

1. visual inspection of the interior of the colon with a flexible, lighted tube inserted through the rectum.

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colonoscopy Scientific  

/ kō′lə-nŏs′kə-pē /

1. Inspection of the interior surface of the colon with a flexible endoscope that is equipped to obtain tissue samples and inserted through the rectum.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• colonoscopic
  adjective
• colonoscopically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• colonoscopies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of colonoscopy

First recorded in 1900–05; colon ² ( def. ) + -o- ( def. ) + -scopy ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

colonoscopy colonoscopies

Imagine going to the doctor for a colonoscopy and leaving with a complete view not just of your gut or colon-cancer risk, but of your overall health status.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

For the Americans thinking 83% sounds like a good-enough option to avoid a colonoscopy or a stool test, think again.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

For the first time, the American Cancer Society recommended in an announcement last month that a blood test could be used to screen people who choose not to or can’t get a colonoscopy.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

With additional clinical data, the model could become even more accurate and eventually match colonoscopy performance.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2026

And in the middle of Eisman’s colonoscopy, a roomful of doctors and nurses retold the story of Eisman’s genius.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Even though the federal government mandates coverage of preventive colonoscopies and stool tests at no cost to the patient, money can still be a reason why people put off getting screened.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

The same AI pattern-recognition that’s learning to spot breast tumors is being applied to thyroid screening, lung nodule detection and colonoscopies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

A lower level would mean more people being referred for colonoscopies to help diagnose or rule out bowel cancer.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Dr. Huang added that diagnostic tools designed to measure intestinal stiffness could one day help identify individuals at higher risk for early-onset CRC, similar to how colonoscopies are used to screen for average-onset disease.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026

Just as we have timelines for things like mammograms and colonoscopies, I would love to see timelines for menopause training where at age 35, we start explaining symptoms to women.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025