noun
hypo
HIGH-poh/hˈaɪpoʊ/
A syringe used to deliver medicine beneath the skin.
The hypo has a hollow needle and a clear barrel.
Etymology
Hypo shortens hypodermic, whose “under the skin” meaning describes where an injection is introduced. The shortened name refers to the needle or the injection given with it.
More examples
- The nurse fills the hypo with the prescribed medicine.
- Used hypos go straight into the sharps container.
- The doctor gives her a hypo to relieve the pain.
Forms
hypo · hypos
Similar words
- syringe
- A broader term for devices that inject or withdraw fluids.
- hypodermic
- A fuller term for the same syringe or its injection.