incision

American  

[in-sizh-uhn] / ɪnˈsɪʒ ən /

noun

1. a cut, gash, or notch.

2. the act of incising.

3. a cutting into, especially for surgical purposes.

4. incisiveness; keenness.

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incision British  

/ ɪnˈsɪʒən /

noun

1. the act of incising

2. a cut, gash, or notch

3. a cut made with a knife during a surgical operation

4. any indentation in an incised leaf

5. rare incisiveness

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Usage

What does incision mean? An incision is a cut made into the body during surgery.Traditionally, incisions are made with surgical instruments like scalpels. However, they can also be made with lasers or robotic tools. Sometimes, incision refers to the scar resulting from such a cut.Incision is the noun form of the verb incise, meaning to cut into. The noun form incision is more commonly used.More generally, incision can refer to any cut or gash, but it is primarily used to refer to surgical incisions.Example: The surgeon explained that she would need to make three small incisions in my abdomen in order to remove my appendix.

Etymology

Origin of incision

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin incīsiōn- (stem of incīsiō ). See incise, -ion

Related Words

• laceration