Excisive

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. This term denotes actions or methods that involve cutting away or excising, commonly in surgical contexts related to tissue removal
2. Describing processes or procedures that involve the removal of tissue through cutting, this term applies to various surgical techniques
3. Pertaining to the act of cutting to remove tissue or material, typically in a medical procedure

Etymology: Latin "excidere" meant "to cut out" or "to cut off." It combines "ex-" (out) with "caedere" (to cut), the same root behind English "incision" and "concise." Its past participle, "excisus," entered English as the verb "excise," which kept the literal sense of cutting out tissue or a growth. "Excisive" is that verb plus the suffix "-ive," meaning "tending to excise," and it is a rare, technical formation rather than everyday vocabulary. The "excise" that means a tax on goods is a different word. It came into English from Middle Dutch "accijns," and its ultimate origin is uncertain. It has no connection to cutting, so the two words only look related.