Trephine

Full definition of trephine

Noun

1. (medicine) A surgical instrument used to remove a circular section of bone from the skull; a trepan.

Synonyms

• trepan obsolete

Verb

1. To use a trephine during surgery.
• 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Chapter 21"We shall wait," said Van Helsing, "just long enough to fix the best spot for trephining, so that we may most quickly and perfectly remove the blood clot, for it is evident that the haemorrhage is increasing."

Anagrams

• nephrite
• prehnite