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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Symptom

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈsɪmptəm/nounCore term

In medicine, symptom means: Something 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.

In Turkish: semptom, belirti, yakınma

How it is used

Used constantly in history taking, case presentations and notes. Doctors ask about the onset and duration of symptoms, and patients are described as symptomatic or asymptomatic.

Example sentences

  1. When did your symptoms start, and have they got worse since then?

  2. She was asymptomatic until last week, when she developed a cough and fever.

  3. Typical symptoms of a urinary infection include burning and passing urine more often.

Common collocations

  • develop symptoms
  • relieve symptoms
  • presenting symptoms
  • symptom onset
  • asymptomatic
  • signEvidence 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.
  • chief complaintThe main problem that made the patient come to see a doctor, usually written in the patient's own words at the start of the notes.
  • onsetThe moment or the way in which a symptom or illness begins, for example suddenly or slowly over several weeks.
  • red flagA symptom or sign that suggests a serious cause, such as cancer or a spinal problem, and needs urgent attention or tests.

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.