lithotripter

[ lith-uh-trip-ter ]

noun

1. a device used for fragmenting kidney stones with ultrasound waves.

lithotripter

/ ˈlɪθəˌtrɪptə /

noun

1. a machine that pulverizes kidney stones by ultrasound as an alternative to their surgical removal

Word History and Origins

Origin of lithotripter¹

First recorded in 1815–25; alteration of obsolete litho(n)triptor “instrument for crushing kidney stones,” derivative of litho(n)triptic “crushing kidney stones,” from New Latin lithontripticus, ultimately based on the Greek phrase (phármaka tôn en nephroîs) líthōn thryptiká “(drugs) breaking up stones (in the kidneys)”; thryptiká “crushing,” a derivative of thrýptein “to crush”; trip- by association with Greek trī́bein “to rub, knead, pound” (verbal adjective trīptós )

Example Sentences

With that jarring punch line, Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., is touting its newly acquired lithotripter, a device that disintegrates kidney stones with shock waves.

From Time Magazine Archive