hypodermic

1 of 2

adjective

hy·​po·​der·​mic ˌhī-pə-ˈdər-mik How to pronounce hypodermic (audio)
Synonyms of hypodermicnext
1
: adapted for use in or administered by injection beneath the skin
2
: of or relating to the parts beneath the skin
3
: resembling a hypodermic injection in effect : stimulating
hypodermically
ˌhī-pə-ˈdər-mi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce hypodermic (audio)
adverb

hypodermic

2 of 2

noun

1
: hypodermic injection
2
: hypodermic syringe

Synonyms

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of hypodermic in a Sentence

Noun he hardly felt it when the nurse stuck the hypodermic in his arm
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Melting snow mingled with broken hypodermic needles on the park's grass as a ranger and a mental health counselor walked together. —Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2023 Huang found that their mouthparts that were much longer and stouter than those of modern fleas – like drinking straws compared to hypodermic needles. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2012
Noun
The syringes of those needles are in turn labelled, so that medical workers can keep track of which medications are in which hypodermics. —New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hypodermic 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

hypo- + -dermic (in endermic "acting through the skin," epidermic)

Note: Term apparently originated by the English surgeon Charles Hunter in "On the hypodermic treatment of diseases," The Retrospect of Medicine, vol. 39 (January-June, 1859), p. 50: "Medicinal substances may be introduced into the cellular tissue beneath the skin with the greatest facility by means of a minute syringe, and so introduced certain medicines will act with an extraordinary rapidity, and the most satisfactory result. To distinguish this plan of injecting beneath the skin from the epidermic and endermic, it would be as well perhaps to use similar phraseology, and call this the hypodermic method."

Noun

by shortening

First Known Use

Adjective

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypodermic was in 1863

Phrases Containing hypodermic

Dictionary Entries Near hypodermic

hypodermal

hypodermic

hypodermic injection

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Hypodermic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypodermic. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

hypodermic

1 of 2 adjective
hy·​po·​der·​mic ˌhī-pə-ˈdər-mik How to pronounce hypodermic (audio)
: of, relating to, or injected into the parts beneath the skin
hypodermically
-mi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce hypodermic (audio)
adverb

hypodermic

2 of 2 noun
1
: hypodermic injection
2
: hypodermic syringe

Medical Definition

hypodermic

1 of 2 adjective
hy·​po·​der·​mic -ˈdər-mik How to pronounce hypodermic (audio)
1
: of or relating to the parts beneath the skin
2
: adapted for use in or administered by injection beneath the skin
hypodermically
-mi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce hypodermic (audio)
adverb

hypodermic

2 of 2 noun
1
: hypodermic injection
2
: hypodermic syringe

More from Merriam-Webster on hypodermic

Nglish: Translation of hypodermic for Spanish Speakers

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