Where does “mastectomy” come from?
Mastectomy comes from Ancient Greek μαστός (mastos, breast) combined with Ancient Greek ἐκτέμνω (ektemnō, to cut out), derived from Ancient Greek τέμνω (temnō, to cut), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁eǵʰs (to cut or strike).
mastectomy (English): The surgical procedure to remove of all or part...
Definitions
- The surgical procedure to remove of all or part...
Ancestry of “mastectomy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ectomy | Excision of; Surgical removal of |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἐκτομή | a cutting out; a segment |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἐκτέμνω | to cut out; to castrate; to divide, zone |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τέμνω | I cut, hew; I maim, wound; I butcher, sacrifice |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -né- | Forms mostly transitive imperfective verbs from... |
Words derived from “mastectomy”