clin

IPA/klˈɪn/
IPA/klˈɪn/

clin — abbreviation

1. Short written form of the word 'clinical', used in medical journals, hospital no

1.abbreviationC1
Definition

Short written form of the word 'clinical', used in medical journals, hospital notes, and academic titles to mean involving the direct examination and care of patients.

Example

Dr Lauren saved the file as 'Clin Notes 2025.pdf' on the hospital server.

written abbreviation in file names and titles

The article appeared in the Journal of Clin Microbiology last March.

use in journal titles

Common collocations
  • clin notes
  • clin practice
  • clin skills

Usage Note

Almost never spoken aloud as 'clin'; readers say the full word 'clinical'. Mostly seen in printed titles, file names, and journal abbreviations.

Common Mistakes

The clin examined the patient.
The clinician examined the patient.
'clin' is a written shortening of the adjective 'clinical', not a noun for a person.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Clin Notes
  • Clin Practice
  • Clin Microbiology

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

A modern written shortening of the English adjective 'clinical', which itself comes from Greek 'klinike' (the art of treating people in bed) through Latin 'clinicus' and French 'clinique'. The shortened form 'clin' became common in 20th-century journal abbreviations and medical filing systems where space on covers and labels was tight.