Triage is the process of quickly examining sick or injured people, for example after an accident or a battle, so that those who are in the most serious condition can be treated first.
[medicine]
...the triage process.
triage in British English
(ˈtriːˌɑːʒ, ˌtriːˈɑːʒ, ˈtraɪ-)
noun
1.
(in a hospital) the principle or practice of sorting emergency patients into categories of priority for treatment
2.
the principle or practice of sorting casualties in battle or disaster into categories of priority for treatment
3.
the principle or practice of allocating limited resources, as of food or foreign aid, on a basis of expediency rather than according to moral principles or the needs of the recipients
Word origin
C18 (in the sense: sorting (goods) according to quality): from French; see try, -age
triage in American English
(triˈɑʒ; ˈtriˌɑʒ)
noun
1.
a system of assigning priorities of medical treatment based on urgency, chance for survival, etc. and used on battlefields and in hospital emergency wards
2.
any system for prioritizing based on available resources, manpower, etc., as in an emergency
verb transitiveWord forms: triˈaged or triˈaging
3.
to prioritize (patients, problems, etc.)
Word origin
Fr, a sifting < trier, to sift: see try & -age
Examples of 'triage' in a sentence
triage
She waited four hours to see a triage nurse, who was utterly charming, apologised for the wait and put my friend on to a trolley.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One of the nurses ducked away into the canvas shelter of the salle de triage to say goodbye to a soldier.
Thomas, Rosie THE WHITE DOVE (2002)
Leaving her post at the triage desk, Pat strode through the swinging doors behind the officers.