ambulatory
Definitions
Able to walk; not confined to bed.
能走动的，不必卧床的（病人）。
(Medical) Done or provided on an outpatient basis, without an overnight hospital stay.
（医学）门诊的，不需住院的（治疗或护理）。
(Architecture) A covered walkway, especially the aisle running around the apse of a church.
（建筑）回廊，尤指环绕教堂半圆室外侧的有顶走道。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedambul (walk) + -ory (relating to) = 'having to do with walking.' From there it branches: applied to a patient, 'able to walk' (and so outpatient care that lets you walk in and out, no overnight stay); applied to a building, the covered aisle around a church's apse where people walk in procession.
Root ambul still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
Watch how one root spreads across two professions. Doctors borrowed 'walking' to mark patients who are up and about — and from 'the patient can walk' came 'ambulatory care,' treatment you don't have to stay overnight for. Architects borrowed the same 'walking' for the passage you stroll along inside a cathedral. Same image of feet in motion, two unrelated fields.
Common Collocations
- 1.ambulatory care门诊护理
- 2.ambulatory surgery门诊手术
- 3.ambulatory patient可走动的病人
- 4.ambulatory clinic门诊诊所
Example Sentences
- 1.
The patient is now ambulatory and can leave her bed for short walks.
- 2.
The clinic specializes in ambulatory surgery, so most people go home the same day.
- 3.
Pilgrims circled the shrine along the cathedral's ambulatory.