Surgery
/ˈsɜː.dʒə.ri/noun
The branch of medicine that treats injuries, diseases, and deformities by operative procedures.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Greek cheirourgia, literally “hand-work,” because early surgery was understood as skilled manual labor rather than a separate medical science.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
cheirourgia
“hand-work; manual labor or skillful work done with the hands”
Late Latin
Latin
chirurgia
“surgical treatment; the practice of healing by manual operations”
Old French
Old French
cirurgie
“surgery; the art of treating disease by manual means”
14th Century
English
surgerie
“the practice of medicine involving manual operations”
Modern English
English
surgery
“the branch of medicine using operative procedures”
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