stethoscope
UK: ˈsteθəskəʊp | US: ˈsteθəskoʊp
n. a medical instrument used by physicians to listen to sounds within the body, especially the heart and lungs
stethoscope = stetho<chest> + scope<instrument for viewing>
- stetho: From Greek stēthos (στῆθος), meaning "chest."
- scope: From Greek skopein (σκοπεῖν), meaning "to look" or "to examine," later generalized to instruments for observation.
Etymology Origin:
The word stethoscope was coined in 1819 by French physician René Laennec, combining Greek stēthos (chest) and -scope (instrument for viewing). Ironically, the stethoscope doesn’t "view" but listens—a semantic shift where -scope broadened to include auditory examination tools. The device revolutionized medicine by enabling non-invasive internal sound detection.
The doctor placed the stethoscope on the patient’s chest to check for irregular heartbeats.
Modern stethoscopes amplify faint bodily sounds for clearer diagnosis.
She forgot her stethoscope at the clinic and had to borrow a colleague’s.
Pediatric stethoscopes are smaller to accommodate children’s bodies.
The invention of the stethoscope marked a milestone in medical diagnostics.