Where does “nephrectomy” come from?
Nephrectomy comes from Ancient Greek nephros meaning "kidney" combined with ektemnō meaning "to cut out," derived from temnō meaning "to cut," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁eǵʰs.
nephrectomy (English): The surgical removal of a kidney
Definitions
- The surgical removal of a kidney
Ancestry of “nephrectomy”, step by step
nephrectomy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ectomy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ectomy | Any operation involving surgical excision or... |
| 2 | English | -ectomy | Excision of; Surgical removal of |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἐκτομή | a cutting out; a segment |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἐκτέμνω | to cut out; to castrate; to divide, zone |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τέμνω | I cut, hew; I maim, wound; I butcher, sacrifice |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -né- | Forms mostly transitive imperfective verbs from... |
via English nephr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nephr | — |