circumcision

American  

[sur-kuhm-sizh-uhn] / ˌsɜr kəmˈsɪʒ ən /

noun

circumcisions plural

1. an act, instance, or the rite of circumcising.

2. clitoridectomy.

3. spiritual purification.

4. (initial capital letter) a church festival in honor of the circumcision of Jesus, observed on January 1.

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circumcision British  

/ ˌsɜːkəmˈsɪʒən /

noun

1. 1. surgical removal of the foreskin of males

   2. surgical incision into the skin covering the clitoris in females

   3. removal of the clitoris

2. the act of circumcision, performed as a religious rite by Jews and Muslims

3. RC Church the festival celebrated on Jan 1 in commemoration of the circumcision of Jesus

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circumcision Cultural  

1. The surgical removal of the skin that covers the tip of the penis, usually performed soon after birth. Although circumcision is common in the United States, the procedure is no longer widely recommended as a medical necessity by physicians.

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Discover More

Circumcision is performed as a religious ceremony by Jews (see also Jews) and Muslims.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• circumcisions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of circumcision

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Late Latin circumcīsiōn-, stem of circumcīsiō, equivalent to circumcise + -ion

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

circumcision circumcisions

In Belgium, circumcision is legal “when performed by a qualified physician under strict health and safety standards,” Prévot wrote on X.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

A coroner has warned that further babies could die unless the government introduces regulation of non-therapeutic male circumcision following the death of a six-month-old boy in west London.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

Indeed, the Danish paper describes the idea that boys undergoing circumcision invariably are given acetaminophen for pain as “a questionable assumption.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025

"A more recent review of studies in this area finds no association between circumcision and any adverse psychological effects," he added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025

“The circumcision date cannot be changed, and before we know it many people will be here for the celebration.”

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

White, in his Newsmax interview, raised the case of an investigation in Antwerp into circumcisions by a small number of mohels, Jewish specialists who perform circumcisions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

The reason, its authors wrote, was that “we had no data available on analgesics or possible local anesthetics used during ritual circumcisions in our cohort, so we were unable to address the paracetamol hypothesis directly.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025

King Edmonds said she is not Jewish, but decided to use a mohel, a person who performs circumcisions in the Jewish faith, to perform the procedure in her home.

From Fox News ● Jan. 7, 2020

The ingcibi now need to be registered before being allowed to carry out circumcisions.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2019

Biobanks store appendixes, ovaries, skin, sphincters, testicles, fat, even foreskins from most circumcisions.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot