Sphygmology
/ˌsfɪɡˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/noun
The study of the pulse.
Did you know?Sphygmology comes from the Greek word for pulse, sphygmós, and was used in medical traditions that treated the pulse as a diagnostic sign long before modern monitors.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
σφυγμός (sphygmós)
“pulse; beating of the heart”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-λογία (-logía)
“study; discourse”
Late 19th Century
English
sphygmology
“the study of the pulse and its diagnostic significance”
Modern English
English
sphygmology
“the study of the pulse”
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