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triage

Syllabification: (tri·age)

Pronunciation: /trēˈäZH, ˈtrēˌäZH/

Definition of triage

noun

(in medical use) the assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.
the process of determining the most important people or things from amongst a large number that require attention.

verb

[with object]

assign degrees of urgency to (wounded or ill patients).

Origin:

early 18th century: from French, from trier 'separate out'. The medical sense dates from the 1930s, from the military system of assessing the wounded on the battlefield