How to Pronounce Peritoneal Lavage
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Peritoneal Lavage Pronunciation
pair-ih-toh-NEE-al lah-VAHZH
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
pair
ih
toh
NEE
stress here
al lah
VAHZH
stress here
6 syllables
What is Peritoneal Lavage?
A procedure in which sterile fluid is introduced into the abdominal cavity and then removed to wash out contaminants such as blood, pus, or bile, commonly used during abdominal surgery to reduce the risk of infection or after abdominal trauma to check for internal bleeding.
Questions About Peritoneal Lavage
How do you pronounce 'peritoneal lavage'?
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Say it like this: "pair-ih-toh-NEE-al lah-VAHZH." The stress falls on the third syllable of the first word (NEE), so you emphasize that part when you say it aloud. The second word rhymes with "mirage" but starts with an L sound.
What is the correct way to break 'peritoneal lavage' into syllables?
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Break it down like this: per-i-to-ne-al lav-age. That's five syllables for the first word and two for the second word, making seven syllables total.
What is the most common mispronunciation of this term?
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People often stress the wrong syllable and say "pair-ih-tohn-EE-al" instead of the correct "pair-ih-toh-NEE-al." Another common mistake is pronouncing lavage like "lav-idge" when it should sound like "lah-VAHZH," rhyming with the last syllable in "mirage."
What do the word parts 'peritoneal' and 'lavage' mean?
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"Peritoneal" comes from the peritoneum, which is the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity—the word parts mean "around" (peri-) and "stretched" (-toneal). "Lavage" is a French word meaning "to wash" or "washing." Together, the term means washing the abdominal cavity.
Can you use 'peritoneal lavage' in a simple sentence?
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Here's an example: "During the operation, the surgeon performed a peritoneal lavage to clean the abdominal area." This sentence shows how the term is used in a medical context to describe what the procedure does.
Is there a shorter way to say or write 'peritoneal lavage'?
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Yes, doctors often abbreviate it as "PL" when writing medical notes, and it's pronounced by saying the letters: "P-L." Some medical professionals may also just call it "lavage" for short in conversation.
What other medical words share the root 'peritoneal'?
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Words like "peritonitis" (inflammation of the peritoneum) and "peritoneal dialysis" (a treatment that uses the peritoneum) share the same root. All these words refer to the thin membrane that lines your abdominal cavity.
Why is the stress on the third syllable, not somewhere else?
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Medical words borrowed from Latin and Greek, like "peritoneal," often have their stress on the syllable before the suffix—in this case, the "-al" ending moves the stress back to "NEE." This pattern is common in many medical terms, so once you learn it, you can apply it to similar words.