Negative
Negative (Medicine)
Negative (/ˈnɛɡətɪv/; from Latin negativus meaning 'denying') is a term used in medicine to denote the absence or non-existence of a particular condition, disease, or symptom. It is often used in the context of diagnostic tests, where a negative result indicates that the test did not detect the condition it was designed to identify.
Etymology
The term 'negative' originates from the Latin word negativus, which means 'denying'. It was first used in the medical context in the late 18th century.
Related Terms
- Positive (Medicine): The opposite of negative in medical terminology, indicating the presence of a condition, disease, or symptom.
- False Negative: A test result which incorrectly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is absent.
- False Positive: A test result which incorrectly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is present.
- Sensitivity (Medicine): The ability of a test to correctly identify those with the disease (true positive rate).
- Specificity (Medicine): The ability of a test to correctly identify those without the disease (true negative rate).
Usage in Medicine
In medicine, the term 'negative' is used to denote the absence of a particular condition or symptom. For example, if a patient is tested for a disease and the result is negative, it means that the disease was not detected in the patient's body. However, a negative result does not always guarantee the absence of the disease, as there may be cases of false negatives.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Negative
- Wikipedia's article - Negative
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