# surgery

Pronunciation: say "SUR-juh-ree" US /ˈsɝ.d͡ʒə.ɹi/, UK /ˈsɜː.d͡ʒə.ɹi/

## Noun

1. Treatment in which a surgeon operates on the body, usually by cutting into it, to remove, repair, or replace a part.
   - Simple: A medical operation, usually done by cutting into the body, to fix, remove, or replace a part.
   - _Heart surgery carries significant risks even with modern techniques._
   - _The surgeon performed the surgery under general anesthesia._
2. The branch of medicine concerned with treating injury or disease through operative procedures.
   - Simple: The area of medicine where doctors operate on people to treat illness or injury.
   - _Surgery and internal medicine attract very different kinds of doctors._
   - _She trained in surgery for over a decade before practicing independently._
3. Drastic, far-reaching changes made to something in order to fix or improve it.
   - Simple: Big, deep changes made to something to fix or improve it.
   - _The failing department underwent major surgery after the merger._
   - _After three losing seasons, the new coach said the team's style of play needed major surgery, not a few small tweaks._
4. A room or hospital department equipped for performing operations.
   - Simple: A room or part of a hospital where operations are done.
   - _In the old naval hospital, the surgery had tall windows to give the doctors as much daylight as possible._
   - _After the crash, the paramedics handed her to a team that wheeled her straight down the corridor and into surgery._
5. The local premises where a doctor, dentist or other practitioner sees and treats patients. *(British)*
   - Simple: A local office where a doctor, dentist or vet sees and treats patients.
   - _He walked down to the surgery to have his blood pressure checked._
   - _Our local surgery has taken on two new doctors this year._
6. The hours during which a medical practitioner is available to see patients. *(British)*
   - Simple: The set hours when a doctor, dentist or vet is available to see patients.
   - _Evening surgery is often busier than the morning session._
   - _He arrived just before surgery ended for the day._
7. An arranged session at which people come and wait to speak privately with someone, especially a politician meeting constituents. *(British)*
   - Simple: A set time when a politician or other official meets local people to hear their concerns.
   - _Voters brought their housing complaints to the MP's weekly surgery._
   - _He set up a regular surgery so residents could raise local concerns._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A pre-arranged, fast-tracked bankruptcy worked out largely before the formal filing.
- (noun) A technique for producing a new manifold by cutting out parts of one manifold and gluing in corresponding parts from others.

## Origin

Ancient Greek kheirourgía joined kheír ("hand") and érgon ("work"). It passed through Latin chirurgia and Old French surgerie before arriving in Middle English as surgerie. Chirurgy is a doublet of it.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/surgery (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).