trephine

(trē fīn′, -fēn′)

noun

a type of small crown saw used in surgery to remove a circular section, as of bone from the skull

Origin: earlier trafine, form based on trepan < L tres, three + fines, ends

intransitive verb trephined, trephining

to operate on with a trephine

Related Forms:

See trephine in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A surgical instrument having circular, sawlike edges, used to cut out disks of bone, usually from the skull.

transitive verb tre·phined, tre·phin·ing, tre·phines

To operate on with a trephine.

Origin:

Origin: French tréphine

Origin: , from obsolete English trefine

Origin: , from Latin trēs fīnēs, three ends

Origin: : trēs, three; see trei- in Indo-European roots

Origin: + fīnēs

Origin: , pl. of fīnis, end

Related Forms:

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