Plain Language Medical Dictionary

Using plain language to replace or explain medical jargon is one of the best ways to support health literacy — and help everyone understand and act on health information the first time they hear or see it. The University of Michigan Library's Plain Language Medical Dictionary offers plain language definitions for a wide variety of medical and health terms. You can find plain language alternatives by searching for a term, browsing the dictionary alphabetically, or pasting in a paragraph to identify complex terms that can be replaced with plainer options.