Library / English Dictionary

ABLATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Surgical removal of a body part or tissue

Synonyms:

ablation; cutting out; excision; extirpation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("ablation" is a kind of...):

operation; surgery; surgical operation; surgical procedure; surgical process (a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ablation"):

neurectomy (surgical removal of all or part of a nerve)

oophorectomy; ovariectomy (surgical removal of one of both ovaries)

oophorosalpingectomy (surgical removal of one or both ovaries and the corresponding Fallopian tubes)

ophthalmectomy (surgical removal of an eye)

orchidectomy; orchiectomy (surgical removal of one or both testicles)

pancreatectomy (surgical removal of part or all of the pancreas)

pneumonectomy (surgical removal of a lung (usually to treat lung cancer))

prostatectomy (surgical removal of part or all of the prostate gland)

salpingectomy (surgical removal of one or both Fallopian tubes)

septectomy (surgical removal of all or part of a septum (especially the nasal septum or atrial septum))

sigmoidectomy (surgical removal of part or all of the sigmoid colon (usually to remove a malignant tumor))

splenectomy (surgical removal of the spleen)

stapedectomy (surgical removal of the stapes of the middle ear)

sympathectomy (surgical interruption of a nerve pathway in the sympathetic nervous system)

thrombectomy (surgical removal of a blood clot (thrombus) from a blood vessel)

thyroidectomy (surgical removal of the thyroid gland)

tonsillectomy (surgical removal of the palatine tonsils; commonly performed along with adenoidectomy)

vasectomy (surgical procedure that removes all or part of the vas deferens (usually as a means of sterilization); is sometimes reversible)

vulvectomy (surgical removal of part or all of the vulva)

adenoidectomy (surgical removal of the adenoids; commonly performed along with tonsillectomy)

adrenalectomy; suprarenalectomy (surgical removal of one or both adrenal glands)

appendectomy; appendicectomy (surgical removal of the vermiform appendix)

cholecystectomy (surgical removal of the gall bladder (usually for relief of gallstone pain))

clitoridectomy; female circumcision (excision of the clitoris)

embolectomy (surgical removal of an embolus (usually from an artery))

endarterectomy (surgical removal of the inner lining of an artery that is clogged with atherosclerosis)

enervation (surgical removal of a nerve)

hypophysectomy (surgical removal of the pituitary gland)

hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)

laminectomy (surgical removal of the bony arches on one or more vertebrae)

laryngectomy (surgical removal of part or all of the larynx (usually to treat cancer of the larynx))

lithotomy (surgical removal of a stone (calculus))

lobectomy (surgical removal of a lobe from any organ of the body (as the lung or brain))

lumpectomy (surgical removal of a tumor without removing much of the surrounding tissue or lymph nodes; performed in some cases of breast cancer)

mastectomy (surgical removal of a breast to remove a malignant tumor)

mastoidectomy (surgical removal of some or all of the mastoid process)

meniscectomy (surgical removal of the meniscus of the knee)

nephrectomy (surgical removal of a kidney)

Derivation:

ablate (remove an organ or bodily structure)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The erosive process that reduces the size of glaciers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("ablation" is a kind of...):

eating away; eroding; erosion; wearing; wearing away ((geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it))

Derivation:

ablate (wear away through erosion or vaporization)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Aberrant pathways can be terminated by ablation.

(Cardiac Electrophysiology Study, NCI Thesaurus)

Bone marrow is removed prior to bone marrow ablation treatment and then returned to reconstitute the hematopoietic system.

(Autologous bone marrow transplantation, NCI Thesaurus)

Bone marrow ablation followed by replacement of stem cells in the circulating blood to help the bone marrow recover and continue producing healthy blood cells.

(Bone Marrow Ablation with Stem Cell Support, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called ethanol ablation, PEI, and percutaneous ethanol injection.

(Alcohol ablation, NCI Dictionary)

Also called ovarian ablation.

(Ovarian suppression, NCI Dictionary)