Ethmoidectomy
/ˌɛθ.mɔɪˈdɛk.tə.mi/noun
Surgical removal of all or part of the ethmoid bone or ethmoid air cells.
Did you know?The first element comes from Greek *ēthmos* (“sieve”), so the ethmoid bone was literally named for its sieve-like holes — a tiny anatomical image that survived into modern surgery.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἠθμός (ēthmós)
“sieve; strainer”
Late Greek
Greek
ἠθμοειδής (ēthmoeidḗs)
“sieve-like, resembling a sieve”
Modern Scientific Latin
Latin
ethmoides
“ethmoid; sieve-like”
19th Century
English
ethmoidectomy
“surgical removal of the ethmoid bone or ethmoid cells”
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