Craniotomy
/ˌkreɪniˈɒtəmi/noun
A surgical operation in which part of the skull is opened or removed.
Did you know?Craniotomy has ancient precedents in trepanation, a procedure in which prehistoric people bored or scraped openings into the skull, sometimes on patients who survived.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱerh₂-
“A reconstructed root associated with the head, horn, or the top of the body”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kranion
“Skull or upper part of the head”
Ancient Greek
Greek
tomē
“A cutting or incision, from temnō, “to cut””
Ancient Greek
Greek
kraniotomia
“The cutting or opening of the skull”
Medieval Latin
Latin
craniotomia
“A medical term for opening the skull”
17th Century
English
craniotomy
“A surgical operation involving an opening made in the skull”
Modern English
English
craniotomy
“Surgical opening or removal of part of the skull”