Fulguration

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌfʌl.ɡjʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A medical method that uses electric sparks to destroy tissue, often to remove abnormal growths
2. A therapeutic technique involving the application of electric sparks to cauterize or eliminate unwanted tissue
3. A clinical procedure employing controlled electric discharges to treat or ablate diseased tissue

Etymology: The Latin "fulgur" meant "lightning," and "fulgurātiō" was the word for sheet lightning, the diffuse flashes that light up a summer sky without a visible bolt. English borrowed the term from that Latin base, so the modern medical sense is a deliberate extension of the old word for a natural spectacle. The surgeon's version reproduces the lightning: a high-voltage spark is discharged onto diseased tissue, burning it away. The Latin root "fulgur" also gave English "fulgent," meaning brilliant or shining, and "refulgent," meaning radiantly bright. These words share the same ancient image of light flashing across the sky.

Synonyms: lightning, flash, illumination