Papanicolaou smear

noun Pa·pa·ni·co·laou smear \ ˌpä-pə-ˈnē-kə-ˌlau̇- , ˌpa-pə-ˈni- \

Definition of Papanicolaou smear

: pap smear

Origin and Etymology of papanicolaou smear

George N. Papanicolaou †1962 American medical scientist

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First Known Use: 1950

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

Papanicolaou smear

noun Pa·pa·ni·co·laou smear \ ˌpäp-ə-ˈnē-kə-ˌlau̇- , ˌpap-ə-ˈnik-ə- \

medical Definition of Papanicolaou smear

: pap smear

Biographical Note for papanicolaou smear

Papanicolaou, George Nicholas (1883–1962), American anatomist and cytologist. Papanicolaou devoted his medical research almost entirely to the physiology of reproduction and exfoliative cytology. In 1917 he began studying the vaginal discharge of the guinea pig, examining specifically the histological and physiological changes that occur during a typical estrous cycle. In 1923 he turned to the cytological examination of the vaginal fluid of women as a way of detecting uterine cancer. In 1943 he published his findings after studying 179 cases of uterine cancer. His monograph Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer by Vaginal Smear treated a variety of physiological and pathological states, including abortion, amenorrhea, ectopic pregnancy, endometrial hyperplasia, menopause, the menstrual cycle, prepuberty, and puerperium. The Papanicolaou smear rapidly achieved wide acceptance as a means of cancer diagnosis.