phlebotomy
Americannoun
-
phlebotomies
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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My Sister's Keeper
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An American Plague
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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.
See Examples For:
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
Witnesses often spent hours on the tedious minutiae of finance, chemistry, technology and phlebotomy.
From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2021
Myton was laid off too and was thinking of studying to be a phlebotomy technician or perhaps a dog groomer.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 11, 2020
I also did a whole series of what I call phlebotomy horror stories, which I loved doing.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 28, 2019
There is no reason to doubt that the clyster and phlebotomy enjoyed as wide usage in colonial Virginia as in Europe, but the evidence surviving to prove this assumption is slight.
From Medicine in Virginia, 1607-1699 by Thomas Proctor Hughes
And, as with real-world phlebotomies, the procedure will treat the problem, but it won't cure it.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 29, 2013
Thus far, Parker has had 50 phlebotomies, needs 37 in the near future to bring iron content close to normal.
From Time Magazine Archive
Barbers held a unique position, but in performing phlebotomies, a minor operation, they retained associations with health and disease.
From Medicine in Virginia, 1607-1699 by Thomas Proctor Hughes
The doctors called it "polycythemia", the direct opposite of "anaemia", did 10 phlebotomies taking 5 pints of blood which they said they used for transfusions on ward patients, much to my gratification.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
