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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Bleeding and Wounds

Abrasion

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/əˈbreɪʒən/nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, abrasion means: A shallow wound where the top layer of skin has been scraped off, for example after a fall onto a rough road.

In Turkish: sıyrık, abrazyon

How it is used

The medical word for a graze or scrape. Abrasions are common in cyclists and motorcyclists, who call them 'road rash'. They may bleed only a little but often contain dirt or grit that has to be cleaned out.

Example sentences

  1. Multiple abrasions to both knees and the left elbow.

  2. The abrasion on his cheek is full of gravel.

Common collocations

  • minor abrasions
  • multiple abrasions
  • clean an abrasion
  • road rash
  • lacerationA wound where the skin is cut or torn, often with uneven edges, for example from glass, metal or a fall onto a sharp edge.
  • woundAn injury where the skin or other tissue is cut, torn, pierced or broken, for example by a knife, glass, a fall or a bite.
  • dressingA sterile pad or covering placed directly on a wound to protect it, absorb blood and help it heal.
  • bleedingThe loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel, either out of the body through a wound or inside the body where it cannot be seen.

More terms: Bleeding and Wounds

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.