Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A test for cancer, especially of the female genital tract, in which a smear of exfoliated cells is specially stained and examined under a microscope for pathological changes.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun gynaecology A screening
test to detectpre-cancerous andcancerous cells by taking a sample (‘smear’) of cells from thecervix .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a sample of secretions and superficial cells of the uterine cervix and uterus; examined with a microscope to detect any abnormal cells
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[After George Papanicolaou, (1883–1962), Greek-born American pathologist and cytologist.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek American physician.
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