gynecology

noun

gy·​ne·​col·​o·​gy ˌgī-nə-ˈkä-lə-jē How to pronounce gynecology (audio) ˌji- How to pronounce gynecology (audio)
: a branch of medicine that deals with the diseases and routine physical care of the reproductive system of women
gynecologic adjective

Examples of gynecology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The risk of developing severe OHSS during an egg retrieval cycle is about 1%, says Paula Amato, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University and the president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Paige Stables, Allure, 16 Nov. 2023 As the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern Medicine, Catherine Spong is used to seeing a lot of baby bumps. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2023 If a uterine rupture results in excessive bleeding, a patient may have to undergo a blood transfusion or an emergency hysterectomy, explains William Grobman, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago. Lisa Milbrand, Parents, 20 Sep. 2023 The tower houses a neonatal intensive care unit, obstetrics, gynecology, and rehabilitation departments, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Cody Weireter said to reporters overnight. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 22 Aug. 2023 The Specialty Care Center houses the hospital’s neonatal, obstetrics and gynecology units as well as patients undergoing rehabilitation. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023 Currently, doctors do not routinely prescribe an NSAID along with emergency contraception in the way that the women in the study took them, says Dr. Erica Cahill, assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University, who wrote an accompanying commentary to the study. Alice Park, Time, 16 Aug. 2023 Obstetrics and gynecology, for example, saw its national ranking increase from 26 to 15. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023 In certain specialties, MGH ranked second in psychiatry and fourth in ophthalmology, while Brigham and Women’s ranked first in obstetrics and gynecology and fifth in both cancer treatment and rheumatology. Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gynecology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from German Gynäkologie, borrowed from New Latin gynaecologia, from gynaeco- gyneco- + -logia -logy

Note: The Latin term appears in the titles of the German physician Martin Schurig's Gynaecologia historico-medica (Dresden, 1730) and in the German humanist and physician Johann Peter Lotichius's Gynaicologia, id est, de nobilitate et perfectione sexus feminei (Rinteln, 1630). Neither work, however, dealt with gynecology as a branch of medicine. Schurig's book dealt with female sexual behavior from a medical and legal standpoint, and Lotichius discussed the nature of women and challenged the ancients' belief in female inferiority.

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gynecology was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near gynecology

Cite this Entry

“Gynecology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gynecology. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

gynecology

noun
gy·​ne·​col·​o·​gy ˌgīn-i-ˈkäl-ə-jē How to pronounce gynecology (audio) ˌjin- How to pronounce gynecology (audio)
: a branch of medicine that is concerned with the diseases and routine medical care of the reproductive system of women

Medical Definition

gynecology

noun
gy·​ne·​col·​o·​gy
variants or chiefly British gynaecology
plural gynecologies
: a branch of medicine that deals with the diseases and routine physical care of the reproductive system of women
gynecologic adjective
or gynecological or chiefly British gynaecologic or gynaecological

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