Definition

An objective indication of disease that the physician observes or measures—the evidence that proves the patient isn't imagining it.

Example Usage

Edema was a clear sign of heart failure.

Origin

Latin: signum (mark, token)

Fun Fact

Classic physical exam signs like Kernig's sign (meningitis) and Murphy's sign (cholecystitis) are named after physicians who described them.

Source: Physical examination standards

Related Terms

Intermediate

surgical site infection

When bacteria crash your surgical wound healing party uninvited, causing redness, pus, and prolonged hospital stays. The complication that makes surgeons check their technique and hospitals review their sterilization protocols.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical
Intermediate

extern

A professional who's technically affiliated with an institution but not quite committed enough to get a real office or full-time badge. Think of it as the employment equivalent of 'it's complicated'—you're on the roster but not really in the family photo. Common in healthcare and academia where institutions want the expertise without the full-time commitment.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical
Advanced

multifactorial

Physician-approved code for 'we genuinely have no idea—it's probably your genes, lifestyle, environment, and bad luck all colliding at once.' The medicinal equivalent of 'it's complicated.'

🏥 Healthcare / Medical
Intermediate

Protocol

A set of rules that doctors follow for treating specific conditions, which sounds reassuring until you realize it basically means medicine runs on checklists. The healthcare version of an IKEA instruction manual, except the furniture is your body.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical
Intermediate

polymerase

The molecular copy machine that reads your DNA or RNA template and churns out brand new genetic material, like a biological Xerox technician working at the nanoscale. These enzymes are the unsung heroes of every biology experiment, forensic investigation, and COVID test. Without them, we'd still be in the scientific dark ages, manually trying to copy genes with tweezers or something equally absurd.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical
Advanced

codon

A three-nucleotide sequence in DNA or RNA that codes for a specific amino acid or tells the cellular machinery to stop translation. Think of it as the genetic alphabet's version of a three-letter word, except instead of spelling 'cat' or 'dog,' it spells 'make methionine' or 'stop making protein now.' There are 64 possible codons but only 20 amino acids, which means biology invented redundancy long before your IT department did.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

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