Iridectomy
/ˌɪrɪˈdɛktəmi/noun
Surgical removal of all or part of the iris.
Did you know?Iridectomy is built from Greek iris, meaning both “iris” and “rainbow,” plus a surgical suffix, so this medical term hides a color-and-light origin inside a procedure on the eye.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἶρις (îris)
“rainbow; the iris of the eye”
Late Latin
Latin
irid-
“combining form from Greek iris, used in learned medical terms”
19th Century
English
iridectomy
“surgical removal of part or all of the iris”
Modern English
English
iridectomy
“surgical removal of part or all of the iris”
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