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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Sign

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/saɪn/nounCore term

In medicine, sign means: Evidence of disease that a doctor can see, feel, hear or measure, such as a rash, a heart murmur or a high temperature, rather than something the patient reports.

In Turkish: bulgu, işaret

How it is used

Paired with symptom in the phrase 'signs and symptoms'. Many examination findings are named after doctors, such as Murphy's sign. Doctors look for, elicit or find a sign.

Example sentences

  1. There were no signs of infection around the wound.

  2. Can you list the classic signs and symptoms of dehydration?

Common collocations

  • signs and symptoms
  • clinical signs
  • warning signs
  • elicit a sign
  • no signs of
  • symptomSomething a patient feels and reports, such as pain, tiredness or nausea, that may show they have an illness. Doctors learn about it by asking, not by measuring.
  • physical examinationThe part of a consultation where the doctor looks at, feels, taps and listens to the patient's body to find signs of disease.
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements checked to see how ill a patient is: temperature, pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure, and often oxygen level.
  • tendernessPain or discomfort that appears when a doctor presses on a part of the body during an examination.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Symptoms and Signs

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