lavage

noun

la·​vage lə-ˈväzh How to pronounce lavage (audio)
 British usually  ˈla-vij
: washing
especially : the therapeutic washing out of an organ or part

Examples of lavage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That test, called a bronchoalveolar lavage, was done 10 days later. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 16 May 2024 Ductal lavage flushes out cells from the breast’s milk ducts, where breast cancer often originates, so that they may be analyzed for abnormalities that suggest an elevated risk of the disease. Margalit Fox, New York Times, 3 July 2023 Postoperative care was reduced to nasal lavage with topical steroids for 3 to 6 weeks. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2017 Endoscopic view of one day after 3 L of cola lavage. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2013 Jimenez was also able to work remotely from Hotel Influenza, taking meetings in between the occasional blood draw and nasal lavage. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2022 Gastric lavage — Otherwise known as stomach pumping. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2022 Doctors collected samples of fluid from her lungs using what's known as a bronchoalveolar lavage, and tested that fluid for SARS-CoV-2. Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2021 For the study, health investigators collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples—that is fluid flushed into and then recollected from the lung through a tube inserted into the mouth or nose. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from laver to wash, from Latin lavare

First Known Use

circa 1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lavage was circa 1895

Dictionary Entries Near lavage

Cite this Entry

“Lavage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lavage. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

lavage

1 of 2 noun
la·​vage
lə-ˈväzh, British usually ˈlav-ij
: the act or action of washing
especially : the therapeutic washing out of an organ or part
gastric lavage

lavage

2 of 2 transitive verb
lavaged; lavaging
1
: to wash or wash out therapeutically
lavaged the bladder with water
the incisions were lavaged with sterile saline
2
: to perform lavage on
she was intubated, lavaged, and received activated charcoalR. Rasmussen & P. E. McKinney

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