Phalangectomy
/ˌfæl.æŋˈdʒɛk.tə.mi/noun
Surgical removal of a phalanx, usually a finger or toe bone.
Did you know?The first half comes from Greek phalanx, the same word that gave English phalanx, while the second half, -ectomy, comes from a Greek verb meaning “to cut out,” so the whole term is basically surgical extraction by name.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phálanx / phálanx, phálanxos
“A finger or toe bone; also a line or block of soldiers in close formation.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ektomḗ
“A cutting out, excision.”
Late 19th Century
English
phalangectomy
“A medical term formed for the surgical removal of a phalanx.”
Modern English
English
phalangectomy
“Surgical removal of one of the bones in a finger or toe.”
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