Sigmoidoscopes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medical instrument used for examining the sigmoid colon by inserting a flexible tube with a light and camera through the rectum
2. A diagnostic tool that allows healthcare providers to visualize the lower part of the large intestine for abnormalities
3. A device utilized in colorectal examinations to facilitate the detection of diseases or conditions affecting the sigmoid area of the bowel

Etymology: The plural of "sigmoidoscope" is built the ordinary way, and the word is a modern medical coinage rather than an ancient one. Its first element comes from the Greek letter sigma, which was written in the shape of a sigma-like curve, and the Greek suffix "-eidḗs" meaning "resembling" was added to make "sigmoeidḗs," meaning "shaped like the letter sigma." English adopted that adjective as "sigmoid" for the S-shaped curve at the lower end of the colon, the section of bowel the device is designed to examine. The instrument's name then joins that adjective to "-scope," the familiar suffix from the Greek verb "skopeîn," meaning "to look at" or "to examine." A sigmoidoscope is therefore literally a looking-instrument for the sigmoid colon, combining a Greek letter, an anatomical description, and an older scientific root in one term.