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prophylaxis

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prophylaxis

  • /pɹɔfɪˈlæksɪs/

Rhymes with -æksɪs

Where it comes from

From Latin, from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before”) + φύλαξις (phúlaxis, “a watching, guarding”).

noun prophylaxes

  1. countable, uncountable The prevention of, or the protective treatment for, disease. The role of statins in prophylaxis for cardiovascular disease is well supported by the medical literature.
  2. countable, sometimes, specifically, uncountable The cleaning of a patient's teeth. We did his semiannual prophylaxis today, and his teeth and gums were found to be healthy.

    Similar: prophy, dental

  3. countable, sometimes, specifically, uncountable Protective measures against acquiring a sexually transmitted disease.
  4. broadly, countable, uncountable Action that works to prevent some bad outcome. The central bankers viewed these moves as prophylaxis against inflation.
  5. broadly, countable, uncountable A move or strategy that frustrates an opponent's plan or tactic.

Translations

Every language

noun prevention of, or protective treatment for disease

Españolprofilaxis
日本語予防 yobō
中文預防 /预防 yùfáng
Portuguêsprofilaxia
Françaisprophylaxie
DeutschProphylaxe, Vorbeugung
Italianoprofilassi
Русскийпрофила́ктика profiláktika
العربيةوِقَايَة wiqāya

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Cite this
MLA

"prophylaxis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prophylaxis. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

prophylaxis. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prophylaxis

Chicago

"prophylaxis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prophylaxis.

BibTeX
@misc{prophylaxis_2026,
  title = {prophylaxis},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prophylaxis},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}