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catheter

 - 6 dictionary results

cath⋅e⋅ter

[kath-i-ter]
–noun Medicine/Medical.
a flexible or rigid hollow tube employed to drain fluids from body cavities or to distend body passages, esp. one for passing into the bladder through the urethra to draw off urine or into the heart through a leg vein or arm vein for diagnostic examination.

Origin:
1595–1605; < LL < Gk kathetr kind of tube, lit., something sent or let down, equiv. to kathe- (var. s. of kathiénai, equiv. to kat- cata- + hiénai to send, let go) + -tr agent suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cath·e·ter   (kāth'ĭ-tər)   
n.  A hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway. Its uses include the drainage of urine from the bladder through the urethra or insertion through a blood vessel into the heart for diagnostic purposes.

[Late Latin, from Greek kathetēr, from kathīenai, kathe-, to send down : kat-, kata-, cata- + hīenai, to send; see yē- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

catheter [(kath-uh-tuhr)]

A thin tube inserted into one of the channels or blood vessels in the body to remove fluids, create an opening into an internal cavity, or administer injections.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

catheter 
1601, from Fr. cathéter, from L.L. catheter "a catheter," from Gk. kathienai "to let down, thrust in," from kata "down" + stem of hienai "to send."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cath·e·ter
Pronunciation: 'kath-&t-&r, 'kath-t&r
Function: noun
: a tubular medical device for insertion into canals,vessels, passageways, or body cavities usually to permit injection or withdrawal of fluids or to keep a passage open
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

catheter cath·e·ter (kāth'ĭ-tər)
n.
A hollow, flexible tube inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway; its many uses include the diagnosis of heart disorders when inserted through a blood vessel into the heart.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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