trephine

[ trih-fahyn, -feen ]

/ trɪˈfaɪn, -ˈfin /

Surgery

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noun

a small circular saw with a center pin mounted on a strong hollow metal shaft to which is attached a transverse handle: used in surgery to remove circular disks of bone from the skull.

verb (used with object), tre·phined, tre·phin·ing.

to operate upon with a trephine.

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Origin of trephine

1620–30; spelling variant of trefine, originally trafine, blend of trapan (variant of trepan¹) and Latin phrase trēs fīnēs three ends (the inventor's explanation)

OTHER WORDS FROM trephine

treph·i·na·tion

[tref-uh-ney-shuhn], /ˌtrɛf əˈneɪ ʃən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trephine in a sentence

Trephining directly over the area of the abscess (rarely necessary).
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
In former days trephining was a much more frequent operation than it is now, and apparently more successful.
A Manual of the Operations of Surgery|Joseph Bell
Trephining is an operation which can be performed by any surgeon who is used to ophthalmic manipulations, and who has good sight.
Glaucoma|Various
This being the case one cannot truthfully say that trephining alone can take the place of the old Graefe iridectomy.
Glaucoma|Various

An abscess involving the turbinated bones is similar to the collection of pus in the sinuses and must be relieved by trephining.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture

British Dictionary definitions for trephine

trephine

/ (trɪˈfiːn) /

noun

a surgical sawlike instrument for removing circular sections of bone, esp from the skull

verb

(tr) to remove a circular section of bone from (esp the skull)

Also called: trepan

Derived forms of trephine

trephination (ˌtrɛfɪˈneɪʃən), noun

Word Origin for trephine

C17: from French tréphine, from obsolete English trefine trepan 1, allegedly from Latin trēs fīnēs literally: three ends; influenced also by English trepane trepan 1

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

trephine

Origin of trephine

OTHER WORDS FROM trephine

Words related to trephine

How to use trephine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trephine

Derived forms of trephine

Word Origin for trephine