| Pap test or Pap smear (pæp) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | another name for cervical smear |
| 2. | a similar test for precancerous cells in other organs |
| [C20: named after George Papanicolaou (1883--1962), US anatomist, who devised it] | |
| Pap smear or Pap smear | |
| —n | |
| [C20: named after George Papanicolaou (1883--1962), US anatomist, who devised it] | |
Pap test n.
A test for cancer, especially of the female genital tract, in which a smear of cells exfoliated or scraped from a mucosal surface is stained with Papanicolaou stain and examined under a microscope for pathological changes. Also called smear test.