The tube and plunger used to measure liquid and push it through a needle. It has three parts: a barrel with volume markings printed along it, a plunger that slides inside the barrel, and a needle at the tip which is either permanently attached or screwed on. It does two jobs at once, measuring an amount and delivering it, and the measuring happens by reading a mark on the barrel.

Why it matters here

The barrel is the measuring instrument, so what the marks mean is the whole question. A syringe marked in millilitres and a syringe marked in insulin units can hold exactly the same liquid and show completely different numbers for it, and neither number means anything until you know which scale you are reading.

Also called

• syringe
• syringes
• pin
• pins
• luer lock
• luer-lock
• luer slip

Pin is common forum shorthand and refers to the whole syringe, not just the needle. Luer lock and luer slip name the two ways a detachable needle attaches, a threaded twist or a push fit, and are properties of the tip rather than separate kinds of syringe.

Compounds carrying this term

None on file yet. This term is in the controlled vocabulary but no compound record currently uses it — which is a statement about our coverage, not about the term.

See also

• Insulin Syringe — Handling and measurement
• Unit (Syringe Unit) — Handling and measurement
• Concentration — Handling and measurement
• Draw — Handling and measurement