ballottement
|bal-lot-te-ment|
🇺🇸
/bəˌlɑːtəˈmɛnt/
🇬🇧
/bəˌlɒtəˈmɛnt/
tossing/shaking that produces a rebound
Etymology
'ballottement' originates from French, specifically the word 'ballotter', where 'ballotter' meant 'to toss' or 'to shake about'.
'ballottement' came into English via French 'ballottement' (modern French) from Old French 'balloter' and from Vulgar Latin *ballottare (a frequentative), ultimately related to Late Latin/Italian 'ballare' meaning 'to dance' or 'to toss about'.
Initially it referred generally to 'tossing' or 'shaking'; over time in medical usage it came to mean the specific clinical rebound or fluctuating movement detected on examination.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a clinical sign in obstetrics in which a floating fetus or structure rebounds when the uterus is tapped; the act of detecting that rebound by palpation.
On abdominal palpation the clinician noted ballottement of the fetus.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/07 08:58