Tonsillectomy
/ˌtɒn.sɪˈlɛk.tə.mi/noun
Surgical removal of one or both tonsils.
Did you know?The medical term is a modern blend built from Latin tonsilla, probably connected to a word for a swell or knob, plus Greek -ectomy, from ektemnein, “to cut out,” the same brutal suffix behind many surgical names.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
tonsilla
“tonsil; throat gland”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ekktemnein
“to cut out, excise”
19th Century
English
tonsillectomy
“surgical removal of the tonsils”
Modern English
English
tonsillectomy
“surgical removal of one or both tonsils”
Explore more surprising origins