electrocautery

[ ih-lek-troh-kaw-tuh-ree ]

noun,plural e·lec·tro·cau·ter·ies.Medicine/Medical.
  1. a handheld, needlelike cautery heated by an electric current.

  2. Also e·lec·tro·cau·ter·i·za·tion [ih-lek-troh-kaw-ter-uh-zey-shuhn] /ɪˌlɛk troʊˌkɔ tər əˈzeɪ ʃən/ . the process of cutting and cauterizing skin simultaneously, or coagulating blood from vessels around a surgical incision, by means of an electrocautery.

Origin of electrocautery

1
First recorded in 1880–85; electro- + cautery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for electrocautery

electrocautery

/ (ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈkɔːtərɪ) /


noun
  1. vet science the use of an electrically heated metal instrument for cautery

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