GC: n
S: NIH (last access: 6 January 2026); ACEP (last access: 6 January 2026).
N: 1. Early 18c., “action of assorting according to quality,” from French triage“a picking out, sorting” (14c.), from Old French trier“to pick, cull” (see try (v.)). In World War I, it was adopted for the sorting of wounded soldiers into groups according to the severity of their injuries.
In English, “that which is culled, picked, or thrown out” (early 19c. in English). There seems to be some influence from our convergence with Latin tria “three,” as in triage for “coffee beans of the third or lowest quality;” in the 1895 Century Dictionary the meaning of triage is “refuse of whole coffee.”
2. French military physician Dominique-Jean Larrey first developed the concept of triage in the late eighteenth century. To improve the quality of battlefield medical care and make the best possible use of available resources, Larrey developed a system for sorting wounded soldiers according to the severity of their injuries and treating them based on their level of need. This system eventually came to be known as triage, a term taken from the French verb trier, which means “to sort.”
3. In modern medicine, triage is typically used in several different situations. Most often, triage is used during mass casualty incidents to determine which patients are in most urgent need of care and which can afford to wait until others have been treated. Similarly, triage is also used in crowded emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, and other walk-in clinics to determine the order in which patients are seen. Finally, triage can also be used to prioritize the use of equipment or space in a hospital or other medical facility.
4. There are many systems of triage that can be used in mass casualty situations. Among the most notable of these is a system known as Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START).
Triage also has applications outside of medicine. Information technology professionals tasked with addressing various computer-related problems commonly use triage. In software testing, for example, testers rely on triage to determine which code errors need immediate attention and which can be repaired later.
5. Medical and Hospital Organization: triage.
- The action … of making a preliminary assessment of patients … in order to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of treatment required.
Medical and Dental Services (Military); General Conduct of Military Operations: triage (NATO, standardized), sorting (NATO, standardized).
- The evaluation and classification of wounded for purposes of treatment and evacuation.
- It consists of the immediate sorting of patients according to type and seriousness of injury, and likelihood of survival, and the establishment of priority for treatment and evacuation to assure medical care of the greatest benefit to the largest number.
- triage; sorting: terms and definition standardized by NATO.
6. Cultural Interrelation:
Using the film Triage (2009) by Danis Tanovic this paper reviews the characteristics of triage and its ethical implications in the context of war where two photographers attempt to document the cruelty of war. The unique triage performed by Dr. Talzani explores the desirability of euthanasia in extreme situations.
S: 1. Etymonline (last access: 6 January 2026). 2 to 4 EBSCO (last access: 10 January 2026). 5. TERMIUM PLUS (last access: 10 January 2026). 6. CritAtLar (last access: 6 January 2026).
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