lumbar puncture

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noun

Medicine/Medical. puncture into the arachnoid membrane of the spinal cord, in the lumbar region, and withdrawal of spinal fluid, performed for diagnosis of the fluid, injection of dye for imaging, or administration of anesthesia or medication.

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Also called spinal tap.

Origin of lumbar puncture

First recorded in 1890–95

Words nearby lumbar puncture

luma, lumb-, lumbago, lumbar, lumbar plexus, lumbar puncture, lumber, lumbering, lumberjack, lumber jacket, lumberman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lumbar puncture in a sentence

“I think some guy invented [lumbar support] for women to get their breasts up,” he told MTV.
Ashton Kutcher’s History of Idiocy: Ubergate, Brownface, Joe Paterno, and More|Marlow Stern|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She wants to puncture all of the caricatures that blunt the harsh reality of Eichmann.
Nothing Was Banal About Eichmann’s Evil, Says a Scathing New Biography|Michael Signer|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So any response has to make him hurt, personally; it has to puncture his ego, his pride.
Best Way to Punish Putin? No World Cup|Tunku Varadarajan|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps the lumbar spine is a much better adapted structure than we realize.
Is Your Chair Killing You? The Consequences of Comfort|Daniel E. Lieberman|October 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Some of those pieces of metal also exited his body, bringing his puncture total to 20.
David's Book Club: Storm of Steel|David Frum|July 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One of these is filled to a depth of about one-fourth inch from a puncture in the finger, and is set aside for a few hours.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Examination of the fluid obtained by lumbar puncture is of value in diagnosis of certain forms of meningitis.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Should he snap at the rear wheel and puncture the tire—Matt's thoughts could not carry the danger further.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Where evidence warrants it corpses are subjected to microscopic and meticulous search to locate a hypodermic puncture.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Each puncture and tiny grotto was filled with it, and a sloping cap of shimmering snow spread over the summit.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for lumbar puncture

lumbar puncture

noun

med insertion of a hollow needle into the lower region of the spinal cord to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid, introduce drugs, etc

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

Scientific definitions for lumbar puncture

lumbar puncture

The insertion of a hollow needle beneath the arachnoid membrane of the spinal cord in the lumbar region to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid for diagnostic purposes or to administer medication.