catheter

Meaning

A small tube inserted into a body cavity to administer a drug, create an opening, distend a passageway, or remove fluid.

Synonyms

duct

vessel

conduit

guide tube

draught tube

conduct pipe

conductor pipe

tremie pipe

urethral probe

urethral catheter

connecting conduct

guiding pipe

probe

vascular

Hyphenated as

ca‧the‧ter

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkæθɪtə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Borrowed from French cathéter, from Ancient Greek καθετήρ (kathetḗr, “surgical instrument for emptying the bladder”), from καθίημι (kathíēmi, “to descend, let down”) + -τήρ (-tḗr, “suffix forming masculine nouns from verbs”).