hypodermic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to the region beneath the skin, especially to an injection given there

   The nurse used a fine hypodermic needle to deliver the medication beneath the skin.

2. 2
   noun

   a hypodermic syringe, needle, or injection

   The doctor prepared a sterile hypodermic before approaching the patient.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Hypodermic was formed in the mid-19th century from Greek elements: hypo-, “under” or “beneath,” and derma, “skin.” It therefore means literally “under the skin.”

Formed from hypo- ("under") + derm ("skin") + -ic, using elements from Ancient Greek hypo and derma. The adjective literally means "under the skin"; the noun arose by shortening hypodermic syringe or hypodermic injection.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary