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Baros means "weight" in Greek; so, for example, a barometer is an instrument that measures air pressure or weight. Bariatric describes the medical treatment of serious overweight—that is, obesity. Bariatric surgery is only employed when other methods of weight loss have been tried and failed. Though stapling the stomach may seem extreme, we now know that obesity greatly increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke, so stomach surgery doesn't just help people look and feel better—it's a potential lifesaver.

Examples of bariatric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Doug Palzer, a Las Vegas businessman who ran bariatric surgery centers, bought the Boonville facility in 2018. — NBC News, "Already struggling, the nation's rural hospitals face another challenge: for-profit owners," 12 Dec. 2020 So that in itself wasn’t unusual, says Francesco Rubin, a bariatric surgeon and diabetes researcher at King’s College in London, who was on that first Zoom call. — Megan Molteni, Wired, "A Global Data Effort Probes Whether Covid Causes Diabetes," 7 Oct. 2020 McLain, who had gained considerable weight, decided to undergo bariatric surgery in 2013. — Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, "Amid pandemic, ex-Detroit Tiger Denny McLain is selling off some of his sports collection," 30 Sep. 2020 The AdventHealth Port Orange Freestanding Emergency Department in Port Orange, Fla., will be an 18,400-square-foot, 24-bed facility with full imaging and laboratory services, a trauma room, bariatric room and two dedicated pediatric-friendly rooms. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Robins & Morton begin work on Florida healthcare project," 25 Sep. 2020 In this stage, doctors should also learn to reconsider obesity not as a personal failure, but as a chronic illness that isn't curable with a temporary diet or even a major procedure like bariatric surgery. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "In Canada, obesity will no longer be determined by weight alone," 6 Aug. 2020 Rescheduling is underway for procedures such as hip and knee replacements, repairs for hernias and cataracts, and bariatric surgeries for weight loss, even as the hospital still reserves resources for a possible surge in coronavirus cases. — Washington Post, "Americans are delaying medical care, and it’s devastating health-care providers," 1 June 2020 That means that procedures such as routine dental cleanings, cosmetic surgery, bariatric surgery and joint replacement surgery will have to be rescheduled, unless postponement would significantly impact the health and safety of the patient. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "Whitmer orders postponement of nonessential medical, dental procedures," 20 Mar. 2020 Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, owned by KentuckyOne Health, specializes in two bariatric treatments that are used to help obese patients lose weight and reduce risks from associated health disorders such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville hospital fights obesity among Hispanic residents with bilingual program," 8 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bariatric.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for bariatric

bar- + -iatric, probably after earlier bariatrics

Note: According to the blog ConscienHealth (conscienhealth.org), August 1, 2015, the word bariatrics was coined by the physician Raymond E. Dietz in 1961. The professional organization with which he was associated, formed as the National Obesity Society in 1950, later became the National Glandular Society, then the American College of Endocrinology and Nutrition, and the American Society of Bariatrics by 1963 (later the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, then the Obesity Medicine Association in 2015). The word bariatric can be found earlier in the name of a corporate entity, the Bariatric Corporation of Coral Gables, Florida, which introduced a weight reduction drug neo-barine in 1958 (withdrawn by order of the Food and Drug Administration in 1964). There appears to be no connection between the Bariatric Corporation and Raymond Dietz.

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