Pap test

or pap test

[ pap test ]

noun

1. a test for cancer of the cervix, consisting of the staining of cervical cells taken in a cervical or vaginal smear Pap smear, or pap smear for examination of exfoliated cells.
2. a vaginal Pap smear used to evaluate estrogen levels.
3. an examination of exfoliated cells in any body fluid, as sputum or urine, for cancer cells.

Pap test

/ pæp /

noun

1. another name for cervical smear
2. a similar test for precancerous cells in other organs

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pap test¹

First recorded in 1955–60; named after George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), U.S. cytologist, born in Greece, who developed the staining method

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pap test¹

C20: named after George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), US anatomist, who devised it

Example Sentences

Fed up after repeated indignities, Rathburn filed a discrimination complaint against another VA hospital that declined to perform a Pap test after several years of her requests.

From Washington Post

JB Lockhart, a retired office worker in Oregon, still schedules an annual Pap test even though she was told she didn’t need it.

From New York Times

The reasoning was that getting the more accurate HPV test every five years can reduce the risk of cervical cancer more effectively than a Pap test done every three.

From Scientific American

That suggests the vaccine played a role, along with Pap tests, which have been driving down cervical cancer cases for decades.

From Seattle Times

Millions of colonoscopies, mammograms, lung scans, Pap tests and other cancer screenings were suspended for several months last spring in the United States and elsewhere as COVID-19 swamped medical care.

From Seattle Times