To listen to internal sounds of the body (such as heartbeats or breathing) using a stethoscope, a fundamental diagnostic technique in medicine.
From Latin 'auscultare' (to listen), from 'auris' (ear) + 'cultus' (tended/cultivated). The root emphasizes 'tending to' or 'paying attention to' sounds through the ear.
Auscult is actually the parent verb from which all the other auscult- words spring, but doctors almost never use the simple verb form anymore—they prefer 'auscultate' instead, making 'auscult' sound oddly archaic!
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