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definitions

xyster

[zis-ter]

noun

a surgical instrument for scraping bones.

Nearby words

  1. xylotomy,
  2. xylulose,
  3. xylyl,
  4. xysma,
  5. xyst,
  6. xystum,
  7. xystus,
  8. xystus i,
  9. xystus ii,
  10. xystus iii

Origin of xyster

< New Latin < Greek xystḗr scraping tool, equivalent to xys- (stem of xýein to scrape) + -tēr instrumental noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for xyster

xyster

noun

a surgical instrument for scraping bone; surgical rasp or file

Word Origin for xyster

C17: via New Latin from Greek: tool for scraping, from xuein to scrape, make smooth
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 xyster

xyster

n.

"surgical instrument for scraping bones," 1680s, from Greek xyster, from xyein "to scrape," from PIE root *kes- (1) "to scrape."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for xyster

xyster

[zĭs′tər]

n.

A surgical instrument for scraping bones.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.