-ectomy
Surgical removal of all or part of a specified organ.
[Greek ektomē, excision, from ek, out, plus temnein, to cut.]
A large number of medical terms contain this suffix; for a selection The suffix is active in the language, well enough known outside its medical context that it is sometimes used facetiously, as in parentectomy, cutting off contact with one's parents, or humorectomy, of a supposed operation that has removed somebody's sense of humour. See also -stomy and -tomy.
Examples of words in -ectomy
Word origins are from Greek unless otherwise stated.
| appendectomy | the appendixcholecystectomy, the gall bladder | Latin cholecystis, gall bladder |
| cystectomy | urinary bladder or a cyst | kustis, bladder |
| endarterectomy | the inner lining of an artery plus any obstructions | endon, within, plus artery |
| hysterectomy | the womb | hustera, womb |
| keratectomy | a section or layer of the cornea | keras, kerat-, horn |
| laminectomy | the back of one or more vertebrae | Latin lamina, layer |
| lumpectomy | a cancerous lump from the breastmastectomy, a breast | mastos, breast |
| orchidectomy | one or both testicles | orkhis, testicle |
| prostatectomy | the prostate gland | English prostate |
| splenectomy | the spleen | English spleen |
| thyroidectomy | removal of the thyroid gland | English thryoid |
| tonsillectomy | the tonsils | English tonsil |
| vasectomy | cutting and sealing of part of the vas deferens | Latin vas, vessel |
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