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clitoridectomy

[ klit-er-i-dek-tuh-mee ]
/ ˌklɪt ər ɪˈdɛk tə mi /

noun, plural clit·o·ri·dec·to·mies.

the excision of the clitoris, usually performed as part of female initiation rites, mainly among certain African peoples, but also sometimes used in various societies to curb sexual desire; female circumcision.

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Compare infibulation.

Origin of clitoridectomy

First recorded in 1865–70; from Greek clitorid- (combining form of kleitorís clitoris) + -ectomy

Words nearby clitoridectomy

clitellum, clithral, clithrophobia, clitic, cliticize, clitoridectomy, clitoriditis, clitoris, clitorism, clitoromegaly, Clive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for clitoridectomy

clitoridectomy
/ (ˌklɪtərɪˈdɛktəmɪ) /

noun plural -mies

surgical removal of the clitoris: a form of female circumcision, esp practised as a religious or ethnic rite
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for clitoridectomy

clitoridectomy
[ klĭt′ər-ĭ-dĕk′tə-mē, klī′tər- ]

n.

Excision of the clitoris.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.