Surgery
/ˈsɜːrdʒəri/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounMedical treatment that involves cutting into the body to repair it.
nounThe work or place of a doctor who performs operations.
Extra definitions
nounMedical treatment involving an operation.
nounThe branch of medicine dealing with operations.
nounAn operation on a patient.
Sentence Examples
He needs surgery on his knee.
The surgery lasted two hours.
She is recovering after surgery.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
None
Word Origin & History
From Middle English surgerie, from Old French surgerie, from Latin chirurgia, from Ancient Greek χειρουργία (kheirourgía), from χείρ (kheír, “hand”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”). Doublet of chirurgy.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
“When performed poorly, a labiaplasty — a procedure to reduce the size of the labia minora, and one of the fastest-growing cosmetic surgeries worldwide — can also damage nerves, leading to genital pain and loss of sexual sensation.”
— 2022 October 17, Rachel E. Gross, “Half the World Has a Clitoris. Why Don’t Doctors Study It?”, in The New York Times:
“The physician's proper place was in the library, not in the surgery.”
— 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow, published 2007, page 51:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He needs ____ on his knee.