medevac
medevac Lexical Profile
medevac Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The emergency evacuation of sick or injured patients from a remote area or disaster site to a hospital, typically by helicopter or airplane.
"The injured mountaineer required an immediate medevac from the high-altitude base camp."
A helicopter, airplane, or other vehicle equipped for the emergency transport of sick or injured patients.
"A medevac landed on the hospital roof to deliver the critical patient."
• verb
To transport a sick or injured person to a hospital by emergency aircraft or medical vehicle.
"Rescue teams had to medevac the stranded hikers after the sudden blizzard."
Word Nuance & Usage
When conjugated as a verb, the final 'c' is typically changed to 'ck' before vowel suffixes (e.g., 'medevacked', 'medevacking') to preserve the hard /k/ sound, though 'medevaced' is occasionally seen.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 1960s during the Vietnam War era as a portmanteau blending 'medical' and 'evacuation'.