lithotripsy

[lith-uh-trip-see]

noun, plural lith·o·trip·sies.

the pulverization and removal of urinary calculi using a lithotripter.

Origin of lithotripsy

1825–35; litho- + Greek trîps(is) rubbing, wear + -y³; see lithotripter

Also called shock wave therapy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for lithotripsy

lithotripsy

noun

the use of ultrasound, often generated by a lithotripter, to pulverize kidney stones and gallstones in situ

Word Origin for lithotripsy

C20: from litho- + Greek thruptein to crush

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

Word Origin and History for lithotripsy

1834, from litho- + -tripsy, from Greek tripsis "rubbing," from tribein "to rub, thresh, pound, wear out," from PIE root *tere- "to rub, turn, twist" (see throw). Klein says the intended Greek word is thryptein "to crush" and there has been "confusion" with tribein.

lithotripsy in Medicine

lithotripsy

[lĭth′ə-trĭp′sē]

n.

The procedure of crushing a stone in the urinary bladder or urethra.lithotrity

lithotripsy in Science

lithotripsy

[lĭth′ə-trĭp′sē]

The procedure of crushing a stone in the urinary bladder or urethra by means of a lithotriptor, a device that passes shock waves through a water-filled tub in which the patient sits. The resulting stone fragments are small enough to be expelled in the urine.