Cautery

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɔːtəɹi/

Definitions

1. A technique that employs heat or chemicals to selectively destroy or remove biological tissue for theraputic or surgical enhancements
2. A medical practice that uses controlled burns or chemical agents to treat tissue and facilitate healing or removal of lesions
3. A medical technique involving the deliberate use of heat or chemical agents to burn and eliminate tissue for treatment purposes

Etymology: The word comes from Latin "cauterium," meaning "branding iron," which in turn was borrowed from Greek "kautērion," a diminutive of "kautēr," "branding iron." The Greek root "kaiein" meant "to burn," so the instrument's name was built directly around the act of scorching. Medicine took the tool and its name together: a hot iron used to seal wounds or destroy diseased flesh was, in effect, a branding iron applied to the body. The surgical sense kept the original image of the hot metal, while the modern technique now covers chemical and electrical methods as well. The meaning has broadened from a single object to any procedure that deliberately destroys tissue, though the underlying idea of burning remains intact.

Synonyms: burn, searing, cauterization