syringe

[ suh-rinj, sir-inj ]

/ səˈrɪndʒ, ˈsɪr ɪndʒ /

noun

a small device consisting of a glass, metal, or hard rubber tube, narrowed at its outlet, and fitted with either a piston or a rubber bulb for drawing in a quantity of fluid or for ejecting fluid in a stream, for cleaning wounds, injecting fluids into the body, etc.

any similar device for pumping and spraying liquids through a small aperture.

verb (used with object), sy·ringed, sy·ring·ing.

to cleanse, wash, inject, etc., by means of a syringe.

Nearby words

syrian, syrian desert, syrian hamster, syringa, syringadenoma, syringe, syringeal, syringectomy, syringes, syringitis, syringo-

Origin of syringe

1375–1425; new singular formed from Late Latin sȳringēs, plural of sȳrinx syrinx; replacing late Middle English syring < Medieval Latin syringa

Related formssy·ringe·ful, adjectiveun·syr·inged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for syringe

Despairing, Brody picks up the syringe the doctor has left for him—and injects the heroin the doctor left alongside it.
Damian Lewis Spills On ‘Homeland’s’ Shocking Plot Twist and Brody’s Return|Andrew Romano|October 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They studied the packages carefully, searching for syringe marks or suspicious powders.
Seattle Police Hand Out Doritos at Hempfest|Winston Ross|August 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A man was restraining him from behind while, to his horror, he said, he saw another leaning in to jab a syringe into his arm.
Egypt’s Vanished: Victims of State Security Force Kidnappings?|Alastair Beach|September 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Several men rush to be the first to make a dollar selling her a syringe.
Philly's Cop-Free Heroin Zone|Jeff Deeney|August 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Seventeen years after the idea first dawned on him, Koska sold his first syringe.
How to Save a Million Lives|Joshua Robinson|October 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The syringe is made of glass, and has a solid glass piston; the needle of platino-iridium should be 5 cm.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
It is obtained from the milky juice of various trees and plants, especially from the syringe tree, of Cayenne.
The Reason Why|Anonymous
Useful as is the syringe when needed, nothing could be much worse than becoming dependent upon it.
Plain Facts for Old and Young|John Harvey Kellogg
The syringe to be used several times a-day in clear, mild weather as soon as the fruit is set.
In-Door Gardening for Every Week in the Year|William Keane
Then pull it gently by the string and syringe yourself with a quart or two of warm water.
Private Sex Advice to Women|R. B. Armitage

British Dictionary definitions for syringe

syringe

/ (ˈsɪrɪndʒ, sɪˈrɪndʒ) /

noun

med an instrument, such as a hypodermic syringe or a rubber ball with a slender nozzle, for use in withdrawing or injecting fluids, cleaning wounds, etc

any similar device for injecting, spraying, or extracting liquids by means of pressure or suction

verb

(tr) to cleanse, inject, or spray with a syringe

Word Origin for syringe

C15: from Late Latin, from Latin: syrinx

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

Word Origin and History for syringe

syringe

early 15c., from Late Latin syringa, from Greek syringa, accusative of syrinx "tube, hole, channel, shepherd's pipe," related to syrizein "to pipe, whistle, hiss," from PIE root *swer- (see susurration). Originally a catheter for irrigating wounds, the application to hypodermic needles is from 1884.

Medicine definitions for syringe

syringe

[ sə-rĭnj′, sîr′ĭnj ]

n.

An instrument used to inject fluids into the body or draw them from it.

A hypodermic syringe.

Science definitions for syringe

syringe

[ sə-rĭnj′ ]

A medical instrument used to inject fluids into the body or draw them from it. Syringes have several different forms. Bulb syringes are usually made of rubber and work by squeezing the bulb to expel a fluid from it, as in ear irrigation. Needle syringes have hypodermic needles attached to plastic or glass tubes that contain plungers to create force or suction.