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.

  1. an examination of exfoliated cells in any body fluid, as sputum or urine, for cancer cells.

Origin of Pap test

1
First recorded in 1955–60; named after George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), U.S. cytologist, born in Greece, who developed the staining method

Words Nearby Pap test

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Pap test in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Pap test

Pap test

Pap smear

/ (pæp) /


nounmed
  1. another name for cervical smear

  2. a similar test for precancerous cells in other organs

Origin of Pap test

1
C20: named after George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), US anatomist, who devised it
  • US equivalent: Papanicolaou smear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012