Pap smear

• pap smear

From Papanikolaou. Named after Greek-American physician Georgios Papanikolaou.

Pap smear (plural Pap smears)

1. (gynaecology) A screening test meant to detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells by taking a sample (‘smear’) of cells from the cervix.
   • 2021, Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl, Bloomsbury, page 344:

     She felt vulnerable, like sheʼd just gotten her first Pap smear and didnʼt know how invasive it would feel.