Medical Suffixes
-ectomy
Commonly encountered in surgical terms like appendectomy or hysterectomy.
Literal Meaning
Surgical removal
Actual Meaning
This means SURGICALLY REMOVING something. So "appendectomy" means removing the appendix.
Examples in Context

Appendectomy is a common procedure to remove the appendix.

Helpful Tips
  • 1Remember 'ectomy' as removing something, like excising excess.
  • 2Think of frequent surgeries that involve removal to recall the term.
Phrase Thesaurus
Similar words and synonyms for this phrase
removal
excision
resection
Related Phrases
Click to explore related phrases in our collection
Extraction
Resection
Biopsy