Curettage
/ˌkjʊəˈrɛt.ɪdʒ/noun
A medical procedure in which tissue is scraped or removed with a curette.
Did you know?Curettage is named after the curette, and that tool’s name ultimately traces back to Latin roots for ‘care’ and ‘treatment’—a brutal little reminder that healing often begins with scraping away what shouldn’t remain.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
cura
“care, attention, treatment”
Late Latin
Latin
curare
“to take care of, heal, attend to”
French
French
curette
“a small scraping instrument”
19th Century
French/English
curettage
“the act or process of scraping with a curette”
Modern English
English
curettage
“a surgical scraping procedure”