> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.snomed.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.snomed.org/snomed-international-documents/snomed-ct-glossary/w/word-equivalent.md).

# word equivalent

## word equivalent

A word or abbreviation that has the same meaning as another word or abbreviation.

#### Notes

* Recognition of *word equivalents* may be useful to support more inclusive text searches for SNOMED CT concepts.

#### Example

* The words "heart" and "cardiac" can be considered equivalent. However, these two words tend to be used in different contexts. As a result many concepts with synonyms including the word "heart" do not have synonyms including the word "cardiac" and vice versa. Therefore, in some cases, expanding a search for terms including either "heart" or "cardiac" may assist location of an appropriate concept.

##

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