What does amniocenteses mean?
Amniocenteses is the plural form of amniocentesis, a well-established prenatal diagnostic procedure. In an amniocentesis, a physician uses ultrasound guidance to insert a fine needle through the pregnant woman's abdominal wall and withdraw a small amount of amniotic fluid, which contains cells shed by the fetus. Laboratory analysis of these cells can detect chromosomal conditions such as Down syndrome, certain genetic disorders, and, in some cases, neural tube defects. The word 'amniocenteses' therefore refers to multiple instances of this procedure — a usage found almost exclusively in medical writing, hospital statistics, research papers, and clinical discussion. It carries a formal, technical register: laypeople typically shorten the singular to 'amnio,' and the plural rarely surfaces outside professional contexts. Because the procedure involves a small but real risk of miscarriage, the term often appears alongside discussions of genetic counseling, informed consent, and the careful weighing of benefits against risks during pregnancy.
nounThe plural of amniocentesis: a medical procedure in which a small sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus is withdrawn, usually via a needle inserted through the mother's abdominal wall, chiefly to test for genetic or chromosomal abnormalities.
- Plural of amniocentesis: multiple instances of the prenatal procedure in which amniotic fluid is sampled with a needle for diagnostic testing.
"The clinic performed several amniocenteses that morning, each one scheduled after careful genetic counseling."
"Over her career, the perinatologist carried out thousands of amniocenteses without a single serious complication."
"Because second-trimester amniocenteses carry a small risk of miscarriage, doctors recommend them only when screening suggests they are warranted."
'Amniocenteses' is itself the standard plural of 'amniocentesis'; it follows the Greek-derived '-eses' ending common in medical terminology.
"All amniocenteses at the clinic are performed under continuous ultrasound guidance."
The word ends in '-eses' because it borrows the Greek-style plural used for medical punctures — one needle tap is an amniocentesis, but a busy fetal-medicine unit may perform dozens of amniocenteses a week.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amniocenteses
The word derives from Greek roots: 'amnion,' the membrane enclosing the fetus, combined with '-centesis,' from the Greek 'kentēsis' meaning a piercing or puncture. Medical Latin adopted the suffix pattern seen in terms like paracentesis, and amniocentesis was coined in twentieth-century obstetric practice as the procedure became clinically routine. Its plural follows the standard Greek-derived '-eses' ending shared by words such as 'theses' and 'analyses.'
Related word forms
How amniocenteses is actually used
Strictly a formal, clinical term; the plural 'amniocenteses' appears mainly in medical literature, statistics, and institutional reporting rather than everyday conversation, where patients and clinicians alike usually say simply 'an amnio.'
Easily confused with amniocenteses
Amniocentesis is the singular form of the procedure's name, while amniocenteses is its plural, used when referring to multiple such procedures.