ascultation of a dog's gut

Arriving home recently after a somewhat worrying visit to the vet, I took a moment to enjoy a new word.

Ascultation.
There it was in the consultation notes.

Hmm... he'd been listening to my dog's gut through his stethoscope and I seem to recall I heard the Italian teacher at school, when she wanted a child to listen to her, say something like: "ascolta!'

So, it must mean listening.

Over to the Online Etymology Dictionary and there it was:

"act of listening," 1630s, from L. auscultationem (nom. auscultatio), from auscultatus (see auscultate). Medical sense is from 1821.

I'll have to think of a reason to use it soon. Not that I want to go back to the vet.