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rhizotomy

American  
[rahy-zot-uh-mee] / raɪˈzɒt ə mi /

noun

Surgery.

plural

rhizotomies

  1. the surgical section or cutting of the spinal nerve roots, usually posterior or sensory roots, to eliminate pain.

rhizotomy British  
/ raɪˈzɒtəmɪ /

noun

  1. surgical incision into the roots of spinal nerves, esp for the relief of pain

"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

Etymology

Origin of rhizotomy

First recorded in 1910–15; rhizo- + -tomy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Park, of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and the surgery for which he is known: the selective dorsal rhizotomy.

From Washington Times • May 11, 2018

The most effective operation. said Dr. Adson, is rhizotomy, or the snipping of the nerve roots as they come out of the spinal column.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.