sputum smear
- noun
- /ˈspjuːtəm smɪr/
- Specialized
:
frotis de esputo
- A major deficiency was reliance on a sputum smear test for the diagnosis of TB disease.
Examples
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After the patient provided a sample, the technician performed a sputum smear for analysis.
-
The doctor recommended a sputum smear to help diagnose any lung diseases.
-
A sputum smear can reveal the presence of bacteria when testing for tuberculosis.
Synonyms
A sample from the lungs placed on a slide to look for infection or cancer
A small sample of cells spread thin on a glass slide to look at under a microscope
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: a 'smear' is a specimen spread on a slide and 'sputum' is mucus from the lungs, so a 'sputum smear' is predictably a smear made from sputum for microscopic examination. Although the term is technical, its meaning follows standard noun-noun formation and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Sputum smear is the name of a simple lab test where a little of sputum, thick spit or mucus from the lungs, is spread thin as a smear on a glass slide so a person can look at it under a microscope. So, the term means 'a slide sample used to check for lung infection or disease'.
