Vocabulary | Vocab.

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Vocabulary
Word
part of speech Meaning Example sentence

abnormal not normal for the human body This amount of weight loss is
adj abnormal for women your age.

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

noun/verb ache in the night.

acute quick to become severe/bad We knew the baby was coming

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

allergy noun a body's abnormal reaction to Your son is extremely allergic to

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

ambulance emergency vehicle that rushes We called the ambulance when

noun people to a hospital Josh stopped breathing.

amnesia a condition that causes people to I can't remember the accident

noun lose their memory because I had amnesia.

amputation noun permanent removal of a limb We had to amputate his leg

amputate verb because the infection spread so
quickly.

anaemia noun occurs when the body doesn't have I have low energy because I am
anaemic adj enough red blood cells anaemic.
antibiotics medication that kills bacteria and My throat infection went away
noun cures infections after I started the antibiotics.

anti-depressant medication that helps relieve The anti-depressants helped me

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

appointment a scheduled meeting with a medical I've made you an appointment

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

arthritis a disease that causes the joints to My grandmother can't knit

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

asthma (attack) a condition that causes a blockage I carry an inhaler when I run
noun of the airway and makes it difficult because I have asthma.
for a person to breathe

bacteria a disease-causing organism To prevent the spread of

noun bacteria it is important that
nurses wash their hands often.

bedsore wounds that develop on a patient's If you don't get up and take a
noun body from lying in one place for too walk, you will develop painful
long bedsores.

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

biopsy removal of human tissue in order to The biopsy ruled out a number
noun conduct certain medical tests of illnesses.

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

blood donor a person who gives blood to a blood Blood donors have to answer
noun bank or other person questions about their medical
 history.

blood pressure the rate at which blood flows High blood pressure puts you at
noun through the body (high/low) risk of having a heart attack.

brace a device that holds injured body You will probably always have to
noun parts in place wear a brace on your ankle
when you jog.

breech position of an unborn baby in which We thought it was going to be a

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

broken a bone that is divided in two or We thought it was just a sprain,

adj more pieces as a result of an injury but it turned out his leg was
broken.

bruise noun injured body tissue that is visible The woman was badly bruised
bruised adj underneath the skin when she came into the
emergency room.

Caesarean section, C- procedure that involves removing a The baby was so large that we
section baby from its mother through an had to perform a Caesarean
noun incision in the woman's lower section.
abdomen

cancer disease caused by the There are many different

noun uncontrollable growth of cells options when it comes to
treating cancer.

cardiopulmonary restoring a person's breath and You saved your brother's life by
resuscitation (CPR) circulation performing CPR.
noun

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

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

chapel, chapeline a place where loved ones can go to If you want a place to pray, the
noun pray for a patient's recovery; chapel is on the third floor.
a priest who visits patients in the
hospital

chemotherapy type of treatment used on cancer My mother has already had

noun patients three rounds of chemotherapy.

chickenpox a virus commonly contracted by It is best to get chickenpox as a

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

coroner a person who determines the cause We only call the coroner if we
noun of death after a person dies think a death is suspicious.

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

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

cyst a sac in the body-tissue filled with We're going to remove the cysts
noun fluid (sometimes diseased) just to be on the safe side.

deaf unable to hear The accident left the patient

adj both deaf and blind.

deficiency a lack of something necessary for The tests show that you have an
noun one's health iron deficiency.

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

adj become dehydrated in this
heat.

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

noun suffering with dementia.

diabetes type of disease typically involving People with diabetes have to

noun insulin deficiency constantly check their blood
 sugar levels.

diagnosis medical explanation of an illness or The doctor would prefer to

noun condition share the diagnosis with the
patient himself.

discomfort experiencing pain This pain medication should

noun relieve some of your
discomfort.

disease a medical disorder that is harmful to I understand that this disease

noun a person's health runs in your family.

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

adj separated from its joint because of your dislocated
shoulder.

emergency a medical problem that needs It is important that children

noun immediate attention know which number to dial in
case of an emergency.

ER (emergency the hospital room used for treating The child was rushed into the
room) patients with immediate and life- ER after he had a severe allergic
noun threatening injuries reaction to a bee sting.

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 comes back We had two false negative
noun negative pregnancy tests, so we didn't
adj know we were having a baby.

family history medical background of a person's The doctor was concerned

noun family members about my family history of skin
cancer.

fatal causing death The doctor made a fatal error

adj when he wrote the wrong