Pericardiocentesis
/ˌpɛrɪˌkɑːrdiəʊsɛnˈtiːsɪs/noun
A medical procedure in which a needle is inserted into the pericardial sac to remove accumulated fluid around the heart.
Did you know?Its final element comes from Greek kéntēsis, “a pricking” or “puncture,” linking this modern emergency procedure to ancient Greek language used for piercing and刺.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kerd-
“Heart; the central organ and metaphorical seat of feeling”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kardía
“Heart”
Ancient Greek
Greek
perikárdion
“The membrane or sac surrounding the heart”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kéntēsis
“A pricking or puncture, from kenteîn, “to prick””
19th Century
Medical Greek
pericardio- + -centesis
“A combining form meaning puncture of the pericardium”
Modern English
English
pericardiocentesis
“Needle puncture of the pericardial sac to remove fluid”