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electrocautery

American  
[ih-lek-troh-kaw-tuh-ree] / ɪˌlɛk troʊˈkɔ tə ri /

noun

Medicine/Medical.
electrocauteries plural
  1. a handheld, needlelike cautery heated by an electric current.

  2. Also electrocauterization the process of cutting and cauterizing skin simultaneously, or coagulating blood from vessels around a surgical incision, by means of an electrocautery.


electrocautery British  
/ ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈkɔːtərɪ /

noun

  1. vet science the use of an electrically heated metal instrument for cautery

"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

Etymology

Origin of electrocautery

First recorded in 1880–85; electro- + cautery

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Open prostatectomy also offers the advantages of tactile feedback; greater access to the surgical field; less need for electrocautery that burns tissues; and absence of concern about equipment failure or inadvertent tissue injury.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2018

When necessary, most doctors remove warts by such medically proved methods as minor surgery, application of caustics, localized freezing or electrocautery.

From Time Magazine Archive

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