Catheter
//ˈkæθɪtə(ɹ)// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small tube inserted into a body cavity to administer a drug, create an opening, distend a passageway, or remove fluid.
"And I humbly hope, that the Deſcription, and the Method of uſing this Catheter, will be a means of reviving an Operation ſo happily begun, and calculated for the Good of thoſe that are afflicted with the Stone in the Bladder."
- 2 a thin flexible tube inserted into the body to permit introduction or withdrawal of fluids or to keep the passageway open wordnet
Example
More examples"The sternocleidomastoid is used as a landmark for insertion of a central venous catheter."
Etymology
Borrowed from French cathéter, from Late Latin cathetēr, from Ancient Greek καθετήρ (kathetḗr, “surgical instrument for emptying the bladder”), from καθίημι (kathíēmi, “to descend, let down”) + -τήρ (-tḗr, suffix forming masculine nouns from verbs).
Related phrases
More for "catheter"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.