Cesareans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surgical procedure for delivering a baby through an incision in the mother's abdomen and uterus
2. The operation is often performed when vaginal delivery poses risks to the mother or child
3. This method is commonly referred to for births that are complicated or when the baby is in a non-optimal position

Etymology: "Cesareans" is the plural of "cesarean," so it refers to more than one operation of this kind. The adjective "cesarean" comes from "Caesar" plus the suffix "-ean," which forms adjectives meaning "pertaining to" a person or place. The phrase it belongs to is "cesarean section," where the surgery takes its name from the Latin "caesus," meaning "cut," a reference to the cut made through the abdomen and uterus to deliver a baby. The famous ancestry of the name is a legend: that Julius Caesar was born this way. That idea is a myth, and the name is not tied to his birth. The more likely origin is the Roman lex caesarea, a law associated with the Caesars that required the cutting out of a child from a dead or dying mother. The connection to the emperor is thus a matter of tradition rather than documented fact, and the name has long been used for the procedure.