staff of Asclepius

noun phrase staff of As·cle·pi·us \ -ˌa-ˈsklē-pē-əs \

variants: or staff of Aesculapius play \-ˌe-skyə-ˈlā-pē-əs\

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of staff of Asclepius

: a conventionalized representation of a staff branched at the top with a single snake twined around it that is used as a symbol of medicine and as the official insignia of the American Medical Association — called also rod of Asclepius, rod of Aesculapius; compare caduceus 2a