Mastectomize
/ˌmæs.tɛkˈtɒm.aɪz/noun
To perform a mastectomy; to remove one or both breasts surgically.
Did you know?Mastectomize is built from the same Greek surgical root as mastectomy, and that root ultimately comes from stēthos, the ancient word for the chest—proof that even modern medical language can preserve a stark, body-centered history.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
stēthos
“chest, breast”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ektomē
“a cutting out, excision”
Modern Scientific Greek
Greek
mastektomia
“surgical removal of a breast”
19th Century
English
mastectomy
“surgical removal of a breast”
20th Century
English
mastectomize
“to perform a mastectomy”