What does ureteric mean?
Ureteric is a medical adjective meaning relating to or affecting the ureter. The ureters are two narrow muscular tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder, and the adjective appears in terms such as “ureteric obstruction,” “ureteric colic,” and “ureteric orifice.” It is used chiefly in clinical and anatomical contexts, including descriptions of stones, inflammation, narrowing, blockage, and other conditions affecting the urinary tract. The word is recognized in both British and American English, though “ureteral” is especially common in American usage. Ureteric is precise where a broader term such as “urinary” would not identify the relevant structure. It should not be confused with “urethral,” which describes the urethra, the separate passage carrying urine from the bladder to the exterior.
adjectiveRelating to or affecting the ureter, the muscular tube that carries urine from a kidney to the urinary bladder.
- Relating to or affecting the ureter or ureters.
"The scan showed ureteric obstruction caused by a kidney stone."
"An ultrasound revealed ureteric obstruction caused by a kidney stone."
"Ureteric colic can produce severe pain as the ureter contracts around a stone."
Ureteric may sound like a complicated detour for urine, but it simply means “relating to the ureter”—the tube connecting a kidney to the bladder.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ureteric come from?
Ureteric is derived from the Latin noun ureter, which was borrowed from Greek oureter, the ancient Greek term for the urinary passage from the kidney to the bladder. The Greek word is associated with ourein, meaning “to urinate.” The adjective form “ureteric” developed in English as a medical term and later produced such derivatives as “ureteral,” “ureteritis,” and “ureteroscopy.”
Related word forms
How ureteric is actually used
Ureteric is a formal medical term, especially common in British usage. In American medical writing, “ureteral” is often preferred, although “ureteric” is also understood and used.
Easily confused with ureteric
Ureteric refers to the ureters, which carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, whereas urethral refers to the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder out of the body.