clitoridectomy

[ klit-er-i-dek-tuh-mee ]

noun

, plural clit·o·ri·dec·to·mies.

1. the excision of the clitoris, usually performed as part of female initiation rites, mainly among certain African peoples, but also sometimes used in various societies to curb sexual desire; female circumcision.

clitoridectomy

/ ˌklɪtərɪˈdɛktəmɪ /

noun

1. surgical removal of the clitoris: a form of female circumcision, esp practised as a religious or ethnic rite

Word History and Origins

Origin of clitoridectomy¹

First recorded in 1865–70; from Greek clitorid- (combining form of kleitorís clitoris ) + -ectomy

Example Sentences

Had her name included no s's, she probably would have bypassed a career in therapy and devoted herself to yanking out healthy molars or performing unwanted clitoridectomies on the schoolgirls of Africa.

From Literature

In a statement on its website, Best Klinik denied "unreliable" reports about its "clitoridectomy service".

From BBC

Moving on to Ofglen, who over two seasons has been subjected to a forced clitoridectomy and put out to pasture in a cesspool of nuclear waste.

From The Guardian

While the word “clitoridectomy” is never spoken, it’s clear this is the mutilation imposed on Ofglen.

From New York Times

Unknowingly, I went to the same clinic where the clitoridectomy was performed and the doctor shamed me with a booklet entitled The Sin of Self-Pleasuring.

From The Guardian