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Glite Dictionary
smear test

smear test

1 3.7
A medical test that checks cells from a woman's cervix for signs of cancer or other problems
  • noun
  • /smir tɛst/
  • UK
translation icon : prueba de Papanicolaou
  • All those of us who have had smear tests recognise they're not nice, but they are important.

So that's why you get that early invite, the actual smear test.

Examples

  • Well we received both your blood and smear test back, and there's no sign of syphilis or anything else.

    Flesh-Eating Mothers (1988)

  • Others included the patients who came for a smear test but did not come for further treatment.

    Academic text (2007)

  • A patient may ask, 'While I'm here, can you check my mother's blood test results?' or 'Has my daughter been in for her smear test?'

    Academic text (2014)

  • I had STI checks done, and they were all clear; they even did a smear test, which also came back clear.

    Blog text (5)

  • The other reminds you that you don't have to worry about failing Pap smear tests anymore.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Women are encouraged to schedule a smear test to check for signs of cervical cancer.

  • My doctor reminded me that it's important to have a regular smear test to ensure my health.

  • After her smear test, she felt relieved knowing that the results were normal.

Synonyms

Pap smear
vssmear test
  • Specialized
12 4.3

A medical test in which a doctor takes cells from a woman's cervix to check for signs of cancer

is broader and detects cancer and other cervical abnormalities
Pap test
vssmear test
  • Specialized
3 3.7

A medical test that takes cells from the cervix to check for cancer or early changes

is broader and finds cancer and other abnormalities
Papanicolaou test
vssmear test
  • Specialized
4.4

A health test that checks cells from the cervix for early signs of cancer

is the common term used in general medical contexts
cervical smear
vssmear test
  • UK
3.7

A test that takes cells from the cervix to check for early signs of cancer

is broader and seeks both cancer and other cell abnormalities
Papanicolaou smear
vssmear test
  • Specialized
4.2

A test that collects cells from the opening of a woman's womb to look for early cancer

focuses only on cervix cells rather than including uterine sampling

Surface Forms

smear test singular
smear tests plural

Morphology

smear + test

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'smear' (a specimen spread on a microscope slide) with 'test' — i.e. a medical examination using a smear sample. Although somewhat domain-specific, the composition follows straightforward English noun + noun naming patterns and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Smear test comes from the simple action of smearing cells on a glass slide so doctors can look at them under a microscope. So the phrase now means a test to 'check for signs of cervical cancer'.