craniotomy

[ krey-nee-ot-uh-mee ]

/ ˌkreɪ niˈɒt ə mi /

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noun, plural cra·ni·ot·o·mies.Surgery.

the operation of opening the skull, usually for operations on the brain.

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Origin of craniotomy

First recorded in 1850–55; cranio- + -tomy

Words nearby craniotomy

craniopagus, craniophore, craniosacral, craniosacral therapy, cranioscopy, craniotomy, cranium, crank, crankcase, crank in, crankle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use craniotomy in a sentence

I received a phone call from the emergency room asking us to set up for a craniotomy.
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
In the craniotomy case the child is not a materially or formally unjust aggressor, it is not doing anything at all.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
May John, a physician, cut away Peter by craniotomy and so save Ann's life?
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
Craniotomy on a living child is never to be considered under any circumstances.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley

If it is dead and the head is developed, craniotomy should be done to hasten extraction.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley

British Dictionary definitions for craniotomy

craniotomy

/ (ˌkreɪnɪˈɒtəmɪ) /

noun plural -mies

any surgical incision into the skull, esp to expose the brain for neurosurgery

the surgical crushing of a fetal skull to extract a dead fetus

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

Scientific definitions for craniotomy

craniotomy

[ krā′nē-ŏt′ə-mē ]

Surgical incision into the skull.