tracheotomy

American  

[trey-kee-ot-uh-mee] / ˌtreɪ kiˈɒt ə mi /

noun

Surgery.

plural

tracheotomies

1. the operation of cutting into the trachea.

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tracheotomy British  

/ ˌtrækɪˈɒtəmɪ /

noun

1. surgical incision into the trachea, usually performed when the upper air passage has been blocked

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Other Word Forms

• tracheotomist noun

Etymology

Origin of tracheotomy

First recorded in 1720–30; tracheo- + -tomy

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.

Example Sentences

He had a tracheotomy operation, affecting his voice and making it difficult to speak.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2025

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

During his hospitalization, both of Konrad Imirowicz’s legs were amputated, he suffered several infections and received a tracheotomy, skin grafts and kidney dialysis.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 15, 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

Gus and Helen Panos were there and, because it was a funeral, Gus’s tracheotomy made his voice sound even more like the voice of death.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides