Trepan
/trəˈpæn/noun
A tool or surgical instrument used to bore a hole in a bone, especially the skull; also the act of using it.
Did you know?Trepan is tied to the same ancient Greek root as a kind of drill or borer, and skull-boring was practiced in prehistoric and classical medicine long before modern anesthesia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*terə-
“To bore, pierce, or rub through”
Ancient Greek
Greek
trýpanon (τρύπανον)
“A borer, auger, or drill”
Late Latin
Latin
trepanum
“A trepan or surgical boring instrument”
Old French
Old French
trepan
“A trepan; a boring instrument used in surgery”
Middle English
English
trepan
“A surgical instrument for boring a hole in the skull”
Modern English
English
trepan
“A tool or surgical instrument used to bore a hole in a bone, especially the skull; also the act of using it”