penetrating wound
Stab through tissue
A penetrating wound is an injury where an object breaks through the skin and enters the body, creating a passage into deeper tissue.
Distinguished from cuts or abrasions, penetrating wounds involve foreign objects—bullets, knives, shrapnel—that pierce rather than merely slice: The surgeon assessed the penetrating wound to determine which organs were affected.
The term appears frequently in medical and forensic contexts.
- stabPierce with point
- punctureHole from penetration
- lacerationTorn, ragged wound
- bladeFlat cutting edge
- knifeSharp cutting utensil
sharp object · deep · tissue · bleeding · entry · exit · trauma · blunt force · flesh · pierce · impale · gash · surgical · sharp · force · muscle · vital organ · organ
penetrating woundcontusion
Tissue damage beneath skin
bruise · closed wound · blunt trauma · hematoma · crush injury
penetrating woundabrasion
Shallow surface wound
scrape · scratch · graze · first-degree burn
penetrate, penetration, penetrative, penetrator, penetrable, impenetrable, penetrating, wound, wounds