tracheotomy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tracheotomy
Explanation
When someone can't breathe because their airway is blocked, a surgical procedure called a tracheotomy might be necessary, when a doctor makes an incision through their neck and into their windpipe. The medical term tracheotomy comes from trachea, the anatomical name for "windpipe," and the suffix -tomy, from the Greek tomia, "a cutting." In simple terms, a tracheotomy is the cutting of someone's trachea. Emergency tracheotomies are commonly performed when a person has choked on an object that becomes wedged in their airway. A successful tracheotomy allows the person to breathe again, until the object can be removed.
Vocabulary lists containing tracheotomy
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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.
The boy was taken to Rotherham District General Hospital where doctors attempted to carry out a tracheotomy, a procedure to help air and oxygen reach the lungs.
From BBC • Jan. 15, 2024
He felt this technique would be far less disruptive to the person's life than either constantly being tired during the day or, as a last resort, punching a hole in their throat with a tracheotomy.
From Salon • Oct. 23, 2023
A 3-year-old girl had a tracheotomy to help her breathe.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2023
Compared with the 2011 images, these were toned down—no more tracheotomy holes—and the FDA dropped the 1-800-QUIT-NOW number that the courts had specifically criticized.
From Slate • Jun. 12, 2023
The kit had had a Swiss Army knife, but Jack broke it performing an emergency tracheotomy on the dinosaur rock at the park.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
