Colporrhaphy
/ˌkɒlpəˈræfi/noun
A surgical procedure that repairs a vaginal wall by suturing it.
Did you know?The Greek root kolpos originally meant a fold, hollow, or bay—linking the anatomical sense of “vagina” with the image of a curved recess—while rhaptō meant “to sew.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kólpos (κόλπος)
“A fold, hollow, bosom, or bay; later used anatomically for the vagina.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
rháptō (ῥάπτω)
“To sew, stitch, or join together.”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
-rrhaphía (-ρραφία)
“A surgical or technical act of stitching, formed from rháptō.”
19th Century
Medical Latin/English
colporrhaphia / colporrhaphy
“A coined medical term meaning surgical stitching or repair of the vaginal wall.”
Modern English
English
colporrhaphy
“Surgical repair of a vaginal wall by suturing, typically to correct prolapse or structural weakness.”