Surgery

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɜːdÊ’É™ri/

Origin

From Old French surgerie, contracted form of cirurgie, from Latin chirurgia, from Ancient Greek χειρουργία, from χείρ (kheir, "hand") + ἔργον (ergon, "work").

Full definition of surgery

Noun

1. (medicine) A procedure involving major incisions to remove, repair, or replace a part of a body.Many times surgery is necessary to prevent cancer from spreading.
2. (medical specialty)(medicine) The medical specialty related to the performance of surgical procedures.
3. A room or department where surgery is performed.
• 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow 2007, p. 51:The physician's proper place was in the library, not in the surgery.
4. (doctor_consulting) (British) A doctor's consulting room.I dropped in on the surgery as I was passing to show the doctor my hemorrhoids.
5. (British) Any arrangement where people arrive and wait for an interview with certain people, similar to a doctor's surgery.Our MP will be holding a surgery in the village hall on Tuesday.
6. (finance, bankruptcy, slang) A pre-packaged bankruptcy or "quick bankruptcy".
7. (topology) The production of a manifold by removing parts of one manifold and replacing them with corresponding parts of others.

Synonyms

• (procedure) operation
• (room or department) operating room, operating theatre, theatre

Derived terms