Blepharoplasty

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surgical technique intended to correct or improve the form and function of the eyelids for aesthetic or medical purposes
2. A surgical intervention designed to enhance or repair the shape and function of the eyelids for both cosmetic and therapeutic reasons
3. A medical procedure to reshape or restore eyelid appearance and operation

Etymology: Blepharoplasty is a modern medical coinage built from two Greek elements, and neither was ever used for surgery in antiquity. The first part, "blepharo-", comes from the ancient Greek "blépharon", meaning "eyelid" or "eyelash". The second part, "-plasty", comes from the Greek verb "plássein", meaning "to mould or shape", which gave Greek "plastós", "moulded". English took the suffix as a combining form meaning surgical reshaping of a body part, so the whole word simply means "moulding of the eyelid". The pattern is familiar from words like "rhinoplasty" (reshaping the nose) and "mammoplasty" (reshaping the breast). Surgeons in the modern era assembled these terms from classical building blocks whenever they needed a precise name for a new operation, which is why the Greek roots look ancient while the words themselves are recent.