auscultatory
|aus-cul-ta-to-ry|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːskəlˈteɪtɔːri/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːskəlˈteɪtəri/
listening to internal body sounds
Etymology
'auscultatory' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'auscultare', where the root meant 'to listen'.
'auscultatory' changed from Medieval/Low Latin terminology such as 'auscultatio' (meaning 'a listening') and from the noun 'auscultation' it developed into the modern English adjective 'auscultatory' (established in medical usage by the 18th–19th centuries).
Initially it related simply to 'listening'; over time it evolved into its current specialized meaning of 'relating to listening to internal body sounds (especially with a stethoscope)'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or used for auscultation — the act of listening to sounds from the body (such as the heart or lungs), typically with a stethoscope.
The physician performed an auscultatory exam and noted crackles in the patient's lungs.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/21 17:26