One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
1Relating to the cervix.‘cervical cancer’
- ‘The cervical portion of the uterus forms the most posterior portion seen here.’
- ‘It's believed that some forms of HPV put women at greater risk for cervical cancer.’
- ‘The optimal specimen for detecting C trachomatis is a combined urethral and cervical swab.’
- ‘This change in the cells of the cervix often occurs from cervical cap or diaphragm use or from infection.’
- ‘Women who smoke are twice as likely as those who do not to develop cervical cancer.’
2Relating to the neck.‘the fifth cervical vertebra’
- ‘Most children requiring hospital admission for trauma are considered at risk of injury of the cervical spinal cord.’
- ‘However, the range of motion for cervical rotation and lateral flexion increased more in the training groups than in the control group.’
- ‘Over the next eight hours our oral symptoms slowly began to subside, but our cervical lymph nodes became very tender and easily palpable.’
- ‘Effective speech depends also on the motor neurons in the cervical and thoracic parts of the spinal cord that serve the muscles of breathing.’
- ‘The cervical region of the spinal cord was dissected out after laminectomy.’
Late 17th century: from French, or from modern Latin cervicalis, from Latin cervix, cervic- ‘neck’.
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