Improving the general health of people requires dissemination of medical knowledge, which is impossible without adapting medical terminology for laymen. The article, being an intersection of terminological and discourse studies, proves that popular-science discourse is a complex phenomenon comprising a variety of genres. Therefore, genre characteristics and constraints are to be taken into account while modifying terms for non-professional use. The aim of the present work consists in establishing a correlation between the distinctive features of popular-science genres and strategies of terminological adaptation. By means of discourse and genre analysis, semantic analysis of definitions, and metaphor analysis, the present research studies terminological adaptation strategies in a patient-oriented article in a medical journal, articles in medical blogs, and in popular-science books. The analysis has demonstrated that a journal article has the most limited range of strategies and exploits only the substitution of terms with colloquial variants and simplified definitions. The internet article makes use of interactive links and informal language, often in a dialogue form. The popular-science book facilitates understanding of terms via metaphors and similes. Adaptation of medical terms in popular-science discourse is a compromise between an adequate representation of medical knowledge and accessibility for the target audience which is achieved via consideration of genre characteristics. The study backs up the theoretical observations with convincing data regarding the nature of popular-science discourse and functioning of terms and provides practical recommendations for those engaged in the popularisation of medical knowledge.