pro·phy·lax·is

[proh-fuh-lak-sis, prof-uh-]
noun
1.
Medicine/Medical.
a.
the preventing of disease.
b.
the prevention of a specific disease, as by studying the biological behavior, transmission, etc., of its causative agent and applying a series of measures against it.
2.
prophylactic treatment, as the cleaning of the teeth by a dentist or dental hygienist.

Origin:
1835–45; < Neo-Latin < Greek pro- pro-2 + phýlaxis a watching, guarding, equivalent to phylak- (base of phylássein to guard) + -sis -sis

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
prophylaxis (ˌprɒfɪˈlæksɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
the prevention of disease or control of its possible spread

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Prophylaxis is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

prophylaxis pro·phy·lax·is (prō'fə-lāk'sĭs, prŏf'ə-)
n. pl. pro·phy·lax·es (-lāk'sēz')
Prevention of or protective treatment for disease.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Using a hospital-based anesthesia adds thousands of dollars to the cost of a
  simple dental examination and prophylaxis.
Taking malaria prophylaxis makes more sense for those countries, depending on
  where the visitor is headed.
The dentist- the great profile-corrector and prophylaxis champion- is exposed
  as a secret gobbler of sweets.
Puerperal fever came to be acknowledged to have one cause, an iatrogenic cause,
  absence of physician prophylaxis.
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