gauze
n.n. a thin, soft cloth that is used in medicine to cover wounds or to help people breathe. It is also used in cooking to make a sauce smooth.
n. a thin, loosely woven fabric made of cotton or synthetic fibers, used primarily in medical contexts for dressings or surgical purposes. In a culinary context, it refers to a fine mesh used to strain liquids.
The nurse cleaned the wound with clean gauze.
After the surgery, the patient was instructed to change the gauze dressing twice a day to prevent infection.
The surgeon carefully placed a sterile gauze pad over the incision site to absorb any initial bleeding while monitoring for signs of excessive inflammation.
Borrowed from French gaze, from Arabic قَزّ (qazz, “silk”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 19, 2026