triage

American  

[tree-ahzh] / triˈɑʒ /

noun

triages plural

1. the process of sorting victims, as of a battle or disaster, to determine medical priority in order to increase the number of survivors.

2. the determination of priorities for action.

   She began her workday with a triage of emails.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or performing the task of triage.

   a triage officer.

verb (used with object)

triaged, triaging

1. to act on or in by triage.

   to triage a crisis.

triage British  

/ ˌtriːˈɑːʒ, ˈtraɪ-, ˈtriːˌɑːʒ /

noun

1. (in a hospital) the principle or practice of sorting emergency patients into categories of priority for treatment

2. the principle or practice of sorting casualties in battle or disaster into categories of priority for treatment

3. the principle or practice of allocating limited resources, as of food or foreign aid, on a basis of expediency rather than according to moral principles or the needs of the recipients

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• triages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of triage

First recorded in 1925–30; from French: “a sorting,” from tri(er) “to sort” ( cf. try) + -age -age

Explanation

Grouping patients based on the severity of their injuries and the likelihood of their survival is called triage. In a triage situation, urgent cases are seen by doctors first, and non-life-threatening emergencies go last. You can also apply the sorting and prioritizing of triage to more general situations. If you're overwhelmed with homework, you can perform triage by organizing it into subjects and prioritizing assignments based on their due dates. The word triage comes from the French word trier meaning to sort. Although the medical sense is now the most common, it wasn't used that way until World War One.

Example Sentences

Speaking on Sunday Politics, Prof Taylor said: "Triage is important, when someone is acutely unwell – the sooner you get that individual to the level of care they need, the better the outcome."

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

Triage One will hopefully wedge a third option into that system, he said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 4, 2021

The hospital declared an internal disaster, called a Code Triage, for two days last week, before the state sent extra nurses to help the overburdened staff.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2021

State homeless coordinator Scott Morishige said social service providers have offered access to shelters and to the Honolulu Police Department’s Provisional Outdoor Screening and Triage program at Keehi Lagoon.

From Washington Times • Nov. 9, 2020

We know of no more moving sight than one of the great Triage huts in France when leave is on.

From The Romance of the Red Triangle The story of the coming of the red triangle and the service rendered by the Y.M.C.A. to the sailors and soldiers of the British Empire by Yapp, Arthur Keysall