word

part of speech meaning example sentence

abnormal not normal for the This amount of weight loss

adj human body isabnormal for women your
age.

ache pain that won't go I can't sleep because my

noun/verb away kneesache in the night.

acute quick to become We knew the baby was coming

adj severe/bad right away because the
woman's labour pains
were acute.

allergy noun a body's abnormal Your son is

allergic adj reaction to certain extremely allergic to peanuts.
foods or
environmental
substances (eg
causes a rash)

ambulance emergency vehicle We called

noun that rushes people to the ambulance when Josh
a hospital stopped breathing.

amnesia a condition that I can't remember the accident

noun causes people to lose because I had amnesia.
their memory
amputation noun permanent removal of We had to amputate his leg
amputate verb a limb because the infection spread
so quickly.

anaemia noun occurs when the body I have low energy because I
anaemic adj doesn't have enough amanaemic.
red blood cells

antibiotics medication that kills My throat infection went away

noun bacteria and cures after I started the antibiotics.
infections

anti-depressant medication that helps The anti-depressants helped

noun relieve anxiety and me get on with life after Lucy
sadness died.

appointment a scheduled meeting I've made you

noun with a medical an appointmentwith a
professional specialist in three week's time.

arthritis a disease that causes My grandmother can't knit

noun the joints to become anymore because
swollen and crippled the arthritis in her hands is
so bad.

asthma (attack) a condition that I carry an inhaler when I run

noun causes a blockage of because I have asthma.
the airway and makes
it difficult for a person
to breathe
bacteria a disease-causing To prevent the spread
noun organism ofbacteria it is important that
nurses wash their hands often.

bedsore wounds that develop If you don't get up and take a

noun on a patient's body walk, you will develop
from lying in one painfulbedsores.
place for too long

benign not harmful (not We're hoping that the tests will
adj cancerous) show that the lump in your
breast is benign.

biopsy removal of human The biopsy ruled out a

noun tissue in order to number of illnesses.
conduct certain
medical tests

blood count the amount of red You will be happy to know that
noun and white blood cells your blood count is almost
a person has back to normal.

blood donor a person who gives Blood donors have to answer

noun blood to a blood bank questions about their medical
or other person history.

blood pressure the rate at which High blood pressure puts you
noun blood flows through at risk of having a heart
the body (high/low) attack.
brace a device that holds You will probably always have
noun injured body parts in to wear a brace on your ankle
place when you jog.

breech position of an unborn We thought it was going to be

adj baby in which the feet abreech birth, but the baby
are down and the turned himself around.
head is up

broken a bone that is divided We thought it was just a

adj in two or more pieces sprain, but it turned out his leg
as a result of an wasbroken.
injury

bruise noun injured body tissue The woman was

bruised adj that is visible badly bruisedwhen she came
underneath the skin into the emergency room.

Caesarean section, procedure that The baby was so large that we

C-section involves removing a had to perform a Caesarean
noun baby from its mother section.
through an incision in
the woman's lower
abdomen

cancer disease caused by the There are many different

noun uncontrollable growth options when it comes to
of cells treatingcancer.

cardiopulmonary restoring a person's You saved your brother's life

resuscitation (CPR) breath and circulation by performing CPR.
noun

cast a hard bandage that My leg was in a cast for

noun is wrapped around a graduation.
broken bone to keep
it in place

chapel, chapeline a place where loved If you want a place to pray,

noun ones can go to pray thechapel is on the third floor.
for a patient's
recovery;
a priest who visits
patients in the
hospital

chemotherapy type of treatment My mother has already had

noun used on cancer three rounds
patients of chemotherapy.

chickenpox a virus commonly It is best to

noun contracted by get chickenpox as a child so
children, that you don't get it worse as
characterized by itchy an adult.
spots all over the
body

coroner a person who We only call the coroner if we

noun determines the cause think a death is suspicious.
of death after a
person dies

critical condition requiring immediate You can't see her right now;
and constant medical
noun attention she's in critical condition.

crutches objects that people I'd rather hop on one foot than
noun with injured legs or use crutches.
feet use to help them
walk

cyst a sac in the body- We're going to remove

noun tissue filled with fluid the cystsjust to be on the safe
(sometimes diseased) side.

deaf unable to hear The accident left the patient

adj bothdeaf and blind.

deficiency a lack of something The tests show that you have

noun necessary for one's an iron deficiency.
health

dehydrated in need of water It is easy for the elderly to

adj become dehydrated in this
heat.

dementia loss of mental It is hard to watch a loved one

noun capacity suffering with dementia.

diabetes type of disease People with diabetes have to

noun typically involving constantly check their blood
insulin deficiency sugar levels.
diagnosis medical explanation The doctor would prefer to
noun of an illness or share the diagnosis with the
condition patient himself.

discomfort experiencing pain This pain medication should

noun relieve some of
your discomfort.

disease a medical disorder I understand that

noun that is harmful to a this diseaseruns in your
person's health family.

dislocated when a bone is You will have to wear a sling

adj temporarily separated because of
from its joint your dislocatedshoulder.

emergency a medical problem It is important that children

noun that needs immediate know which number to dial in
attention case of anemergency.

ER (emergency the hospital room The child was rushed into

room) used for treating the ERafter he had a severe
noun patients with allergic reaction to a bee sting.
immediate and life-
threatening injuries

external on the outside This cream is for external use

adj only. Do not get it near your
ears, eyes, or mouth.
false negative a test that incorrectly We had two false
noun comes back negative negativepregnancy tests, so
adj we didn't know we were
having a baby.

family history medical background The doctor was concerned

noun of a person's family about my family history of
members skin cancer.

fatal causing death The doctor made a fatal error

adj when he wrote the wrong
prescription.

fever noun higher than normal He is very feverish, and his

feverish adj body temperature temperature is near danger
point.

flu (influenza) many types of People who have

noun respiratory or the flu should not visit
intestinal infections hospital patients.
passed on through a
virus

fracture noun broken or cracked Your wrist is fractured and

fractured adj bone needs a cast.

germ a micro-organism, Flowers are not allowed in the

noun especially one that ward to avoid the risk
causes disease of germsbeing brought in.
genetic a medical condition or The disease is
adj physical feature that part genetic and part
is passed on in the environmental.
family

growth a ball of tissue that That growth on your shoulder

noun grows bigger than is starting to worry me.
normal, either on or
under the skin

heart attack instance in which People who smoke are at

noun blood stops pumping greater risk of having a heart
through the heart attack.

HIV the virus that infects HIV can be passed down from
noun the human T-cells the mother to her fetus.
and leads to AIDS

hives bumps that appear on I broke out in hives after I ate

noun the surface of the that potato casserole.
skin during an allergic
reaction

illness noun general term for any Her illness went away when
ill adj condition that makes she started eating better.
a person feel sick for
a certain period of
time

immune system the parts of the body You can't have visitors
noun that fight diseases, because your immune
infections, and
 viruses system is low.

immunizationnoun an injection that Babies are immunized three

immunize verb protects against a times in their first year.
specific disease

incision cut in the body made I had to have stitches to close

noun during surgery theincision.

inconclusive unclear We have to do more x-rays

adj because the first ones
wereinconclusive.

infant young baby The nurse will demonstrate

noun how to bathe an infant.

infection noun diseased area of the The wound should be covered

infected adj body (viral or when you swim to prevent it
bacterial) from becoming infected.

inflamed appearance (red and My right ankle was

adj swollen) of an injured so inflamedit was twice the
body part size of my left one.

injury damage to the body Her injuries were minor; just

noun a few cuts and bruises.

intensive care unit section of the hospital She will remain in the ICU until
(ICU) where patients get she can breathe on her own.
noun constant attention
and doctors rely on
specialized equipment

internal under the skin, inside The doctors will be monitoring

adj the organs her for any internal bleeding.

itchy feeling discomfort on If you are allergic to this

adj the skin's surface medication your skin will get
red and itchy.

IV a tube that pumps The toddler was so dehydrated

noun liquids and that the doctor decided to get
medication into a him on an IV.
patient's body

lab results tests that come back The lab results have come in
noun from a laboratory and and you are free to go home.
help doctors make a
diagnosis

lab (laboratory) place where samples of I'll take these samples down
noun blood/urine etc. are to thelab on my way out.
taken for testing

life support a machine that keeps The woman has severe brain
noun patients alive by helping damage and is currently
them breathe on life support.

life-threatening when injuries and The victim was shot in two

conditions are extremely places but the bullet wounds
adj serious are not life-threatening.

light-headed feeling of dizziness and If you are feeling light-

adj being off-balance, headedagain, lie down and
caused by lack of oxygen call me.
in the brain

malignant expected to grow and I'm afraid at least one of the

adj get much worse tumours is malignant.
(especially related to
cancerous cells)

medical school place where someone After eight years of medical

(med. school) trains to be a doctor schoolI can finally practice
noun medicine.

newborn an infant that is less You have to support her neck

noun than three months old because she is still
a newborn.

numb no feeling in a certain The needle will make your

adj body part lower body feel numb.

OR (operating the place where major You must wear a face mask
room) surgeries and operations and gloves while you are in
noun take place the OR.

operationnoun a medical procedure that The operation lasted seven

operate onverb involves going inside a hours, but it was successful.
person's body in an
 attempt to fix a problem

pain strong discomfort in We gave your husband some

noun certain areas of the body medicine to relieve some of
thepain.

pain killer, pain type of medicine that You can take two pain
reliever takes away some or all killers every four hours.
noun of the discomfort of an
illness or injury

paralyzed unable to move certain We thought her legs

adj areas of the body wereparalyzed for life, but
she is learning how to walk.

patient a person staying in a The patients in Room 4 are

noun hospital or medical not getting along.
facility

pharmacist a person who fills a Ask the pharmacist if there

noun doctor's prescription and is a generic brand of this
gives people advice medication.
about medication

pharmacy, a place where people go You should be able to buy a

drugstore to buy medication and bandage at the pharmacy.
noun other medical supplies

physician doctor Ask your family physician to

noun refer you to a specialist.
poison noun a substance that is very The child was bitten by
poisonousadj dangerous if it enters the apoisonous snake.
human body

prenatal of the time period The woman was well prepared

adj leading up to giving birth for labour because she took
theprenatal classes.

prescriptionnoun the correct amount and You will need to visit your
prescribeverb type of medication doctor to get
needed to cure an illness another prescription.
or relieve symptoms

privacy noun being alone; personal You will have to pay for
private adj (eg test results) a privatehospital room if you
don't want a room-mate.

radiation high energy X-rays that If the radiation doesn't kill

noun destroy cancer cells all of the abnormal cells, the
cancer will come back.

residency part of a doctor's John is a resident under Dr

resident training that takes place Brown.
noun in the hospital;
a student working under
a doctor

routine check-up a doctor's appointment I'd like to see you a year from
noun to check a person's now for a routine check-up.
general health
scrubs plain uniform (usually I have some extra scrubs in
noun green, white, or blue) my locker.
worn by medical
professionals

scrub up carefully wash hands I have to scrub up and get

verb before and after seeing a ready for surgery.
patient

second opinion input from a second I went to another doctor to

noun doctor about an illness get asecond opinion about
or symptom these headaches.

seizure sudden violent People who suffer from

noun movements or epilepsy are prone
unconsciousness caused to seizures.
by electrical signal
malfunction in the brain

shock body not getting enough The woman was

noun blood flow in shock after being pulled
from the river.

side effects other symptoms that One of the side effects of

noun might occur as a result antidepressants is a loss of
of a certain medication appetite.
or procedure

sore painful I have a sore throat and a

adj runny nose.
spasm the uncontrollable Ever since I injured my leg
noun tightening of a muscle I've been having
muscle spasms in my upper
thigh.

specialist a doctor that is an My family doctor is sending

noun expert in a certain kind me to aspecialist.
of medicine

sprain an injury (less serious I sprained my knee playing

noun/verb than a break) to a joint soccer.
(ankle, wrist, knee etc)

stable condition a patient is stable if their You can see your husband
noun medical condition is no now; he is in a stable
longer changing rapidly condition.

sting sharp, temporary pain It may sting when I insert

noun/verb the needle.

stress noun worry that causes You need to take some time
stressed adj muscles to tighten and off work and relieve some of
blood pressure to rise yourstress.

swellingnoun ligaments (parts that I knew my ankle was sprained

swollen adj hold the joints together) because it was so swollen.
growing bigger and
rounder after an injury
to a joint
symptoms pain or physical changes You have all of
noun that occur because of an the symptoms of a diabetic.
illness or disease

temperature amount of heat We brought Jesse to

noun measured in a body; emergency because he was
higher than normal running a
temperature (high)temperature.

tender painful when touched or The incision was tender after

adj used the surgery.

test results medical information that The test results came back
noun helps doctors understand negative. You aren't pregnant.
a patient's condition or
body

therapy treatment aimed at I was able to go back to work

noun improving a person's a few weeks after starting
mental or physical the therapy.
condition

transplant moving of an organ from The heart transplant saved

noun one human to another your life.

ultrasound a test that examines the The ultrasound shows that

noun body's internal organs we are expecting a baby boy.
and processes using
sound waves (often used
during pregnancies)
umbilical cord the lifeline from the I had an emergency C-section
noun mother to the fetus because the umbilical
(when cut at birth this cord was wrapped around the
forms the belly button) baby's neck.

unconscious alive, but appearing to I hit my head on the steering

adj be asleep and unaware wheel and was
of the surroundings still unconscious when the
ambulance arrived.

urine sample a small amount of the The urine sample tells us

noun body's liquid waste that how much alcohol is in your
is tested for different blood.
medical reasons

vein the thin tubes that I'm just looking for the
noun transport blood around best vein in which to insert
the body and back to the the needle.
heart

virus a dangerous organism The virus is contractable

noun that causes the spread through the exchange of
of minor and major bodily fluids.
diseases

visiting hours time of day when friends I'm afraid you'll have to come
noun and family are allowed to back during visiting hours.
visit patients in hospital

vomit discharge of a person The pregnant woman can't

noun/verb stomach contents stopvomiting.
 through the mouth

ward a section of a hospital or I should warn you that we're

noun health facility where entering the mental
patients stay health ward.

wheelchair a chair on wheels used If you get in

noun for transporting patients the wheelchair I'll take you
from place to place down to see the garden.

wound noun injury to body ("flesh The wounded soldiers are

wounded adj wound" means not deep) being airlifted to the hospital.

x-ray a photograph of a The technician took x-rays of

noun/verb person's bones and my shoulder to make sure it
organs wasn't broken.