Auscultation
/ˌɔː.skəlˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
The medical examination of internal body sounds, usually by listening with a stethoscope.
Did you know?Modern medical auscultation was transformed in 1816 when René Laennec invented the stethoscope, replacing direct ear-to-chest listening with an instrument.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
auscultāre
“to listen attentively or give ear”
Late Latin
Latin
auscultātiō
“the act of listening”
Middle French
French
auscultation
“careful listening, especially in a medical context”
17th Century
English
auscultation
“the act of listening to bodily sounds”
19th Century
English
auscultation
“systematic medical examination by listening to internal sounds”
Modern English
English
auscultation
“clinical listening, commonly with a stethoscope”