phlebotomy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of phlebotomy
First recorded in 1350–1400; earlier flebotomye, phlebothomy, from Middle French flebotomie, from Medieval Latin phlebotomia, Late Latin, from Greek phlebotomía; equivalent to phlebo- + -tomy; replacing Middle English fleobotomie, from Medieval Latin fleobotomia, variant of phlebotomia
Explanation
Doctors can tell a lot from looking at a patient's blood, and in order to do that, they depend on phlebotomy — the medical specialty of collecting blood using a needle. In some cases, phlebotomy can help to diagnose a patient with a particular illness. The person who inserts the needle, draws the blood, labels the test tubes, and puts a bandage on the patient's arm is called a phlebotomist. The original definition of phlebotomy was simply "bloodletting," from the Greek roots phleps, "vein," and tomia, "cutting off." Historically, early phlebotomy involved using leeches to suck "toxins" from patients' blood.
Vocabulary lists containing phlebotomy
Ghost
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
My Sister's Keeper
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
An American Plague
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
From 22 April in addition to the urgent appointments at Hillbrow visitors will have access to vaccinations, phlebotomy and weight loss clinics, memory assessment services, and physiotherapy.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025
And an unwieldy federal database says that 1,041 Michigan residents have exited MedCerts’s phlebotomy technician program over the past three years.
From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2023
I also did a whole series of what I call phlebotomy horror stories, which I loved doing.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 28, 2019
That’s like saying the U.S. knitwear scene is lagging because our most accurate needlers go into phlebotomy.
From Slate • May 11, 2018
That phlebotomy was considered an essential part of the practice of the medicine is seen from the fact that it was practiced upon George Washington in his last illness.
From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 1, January 1916 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
