Meaning & use
centesis
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedicaltechnical
A medical procedure in which a needle or tube is used to puncture a body cavity and remove fluid.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun for the general procedure; for a specific instance, the full term (e.g. amniocentesis) is countable.
Patterns
- centesis of a cavity
- perform centesis
- undergo centesis
The doctor performed centesis to drain the fluid from the patient's abdomen.
Centesis is often done to relieve pressure or to test the fluid for infection.
After the centesis, the sample was sent to the laboratory for analysis.
nouncountablemedicaltechnical
A puncture made into a body cavity for medical reasons, especially to draw off fluid.
Grammar: Countable when referring to a specific puncture or procedure: a centesis, two centeses.
Patterns
- a centesis of the chest
- the centesis was successful
The surgeon made a small centesis to relieve the swelling.
A centesis of the knee joint can help diagnose gout or infection.
Word forms
| plural | centeses |
|---|
Common combinations
- amniocentesis
- Amniocentesis is a type of centesis used to test the fluid around a fetus.
- paracentesis
- Paracentesis is a centesis of the abdominal cavity.
- thoracentesis
- Thoracentesis removes fluid from the space around the lungs.
- perform centesis
- The physician decided to perform centesis to ease the patient's breathing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aspiration
- Aspiration is the act of drawing fluid out with suction, which is often the purpose of centesis but not the puncture itself.
- tap
- Tap is an informal medical term for a centesis, especially in phrases like 'spinal tap'.
Word family
- amniocentesis noun
- A centesis of the amniotic sac to test fetal health.
- paracentesis noun
- A centesis of the abdominal cavity to remove fluid.
- thoracentesis noun
- A centesis of the chest cavity to remove fluid.
Commonly confused: centesis or centesis vs. cinesis?
centesis vs centesis vs. cinesis
Cinesis (or kinesis) means movement, not a medical puncture. They sound somewhat similar but are unrelated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'centesis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Centesis is a procedure to remove fluid, so 'ordered a centesis to drain the fluid' is correct. The other options confuse it with a test result, a sensation, or a medicine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “centesis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.