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Glite Dictionary
Wassermann test

Wassermann test

8.7
A blood test once used to find the germs that cause syphilis
  • noun
  • /ˈwɑːsərˌmæn tɛst/
  • Archaic
translation icon : test de Wassermann
  • The doctor advised me to take the Wassermann test to check for syphilis.

Examples

  • He was relieved to learn that his Wassermann test came back negative.

  • After receiving a positive result, she was referred for further evaluation following the Wassermann test.

  • I had the Wassermann test.

    Myra Breckinridge (1970)

  • The Wassermann test.

    Changeling (2008)

Synonyms

Wassermann
vsWassermann test
  • Archaic
9.9

A test of blood that checks for signs of syphilis

is the fuller named form used as the test title
Wasserman reaction
vsWassermann test
  • Archaic
9.9

A blood test once used to check if someone had syphilis

is the conventional test name rather than a response label

Surface Forms

Wassermann test singular
Wassermann tests plural

Morphology

Wassermann + test

Although 'test' is transparent, 'Wassermann' is an eponymic name with no lexical meaning indicating syphilis to an average B1 learner; they would not be able to infer that this is a blood test for syphilis from the parts alone. The general pattern 'X test' is compositional, but here the specific medical referent requires specialized or cultural knowledge, making the expression not derivable from its constituents.

Etymology

Wassermann test is named after the German doctor August von Wassermann, who in the early 1900s made a simple blood mixture that changed if a person had 'syphilis'. That's why the name now means a 'blood test' for 'syphilis'.