What does oximeter mean?
An oximeter is an electronic instrument used chiefly in medicine to estimate the oxygen saturation of blood. In its familiar pulse form, it clips onto a fingertip and uses light to monitor changes in blood oxygenation; many models also report pulse rate. A low or unstable reading may prompt a clinician to administer oxygen or investigate breathing or circulation. The word also has a more general technical sense for instruments that measure oxygen in gases or other media. In clinical conversation, an oximeter is the measuring device, while oximetry names the technique or test. Its value lies in providing a rapid, noninvasive indication of how well oxygen is being carried by the blood, although readings are estimates and can be affected by movement, poor circulation, skin characteristics, or other technical factors. Oximeters are therefore routine in emergency departments, operating rooms, ambulances, and many routine-care settings, and they have become familiar symbols of modern bedside monitoring.
nounAn instrument for measuring oxygen content or saturation, especially an electronic device that estimates arterial blood oxygen saturation and often pulse rate.
- A medical instrument, commonly a fingertip device, that estimates blood oxygen saturation and may also measure pulse rate.
- An instrument for determining the oxygen concentration in a gas mixture or other sample.
"The nurse attached a fingertip oximeter and checked the reading."
"The nurse attached a fingertip oximeter and checked the reading."
"The apparatus included an oximeter for measuring oxygen in the gas mixture."
The plural is used for multiple devices or instances of the instrument.
"The clinic keeps several oximeters in its emergency room."
An oximeter does not measure the oxygen in your lungs; it estimates how much oxygen your blood is carrying.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of oximeter
Oximeter was formed in the 19th century from oxy-, a combining form associated with oxygen, and the suffix -meter, meaning an instrument that measures. The wider oxy- element ultimately derives from Greek oxys, meaning sharp; in oxygen, it was chosen to suggest acid-forming properties. Oxygen, oxide, oxidation, and oxidize belong to the same broader Greek-derived family.
Related word forms
How oximeter is actually used
This is chiefly a clinical and technical term. Its readings are estimates rather than direct measurements of arterial oxygen content and may be affected by movement, poor circulation, skin characteristics, or other technical factors. The term is used in both British and American English.
Easily confused with oximeter
An oximeter is the measuring device, whereas oximetry is the procedure or technique of measuring oxygen saturation.