Definition

The practice of drawing blood from a vein for medical purposes, such as testing or treatment.

Example

The nurse performed a phlebotomy to collect a blood sample for testing.

Conversation

I just learned about phlebotomy in my biology class.

Oh really? That sounds interesting!

Yeah, they explained how it’s used for blood tests and donations.

That makes sense; it’s such an important procedure in healthcare.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Phlebotomy is formed from "phlebs" (meaning vein) and "tomia" (from "temnein", meaning to cut). The word refers to the act of cutting into a vein, typically for blood extraction.

Memory Tip

Think of 'vein' ('phlebs') and 'cutting' ('tomia') to remember that phlebotomy is the process of cutting into a vein to draw blood.

Visually Confused Words