vasectomy

[ va-sek-tuh-mee ]
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noun,plural vas·ec·to·mies.Surgery.
  1. excision of the vas deferens, or of a portion of it: performed to effect sterility in men.

Origin of vasectomy

1
First recorded in 1895–1900; vas (deferens) + -ectomy

Other words from vasectomy

  • post·vas·ec·to·my, adjective

Words Nearby vasectomy

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How to use vasectomy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vasectomy

vasectomy

/ (væˈsɛktəmɪ) /


nounplural -mies
  1. surgical removal of all or part of the vas deferens, esp as a method of contraception

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for vasectomy

vasectomy

[ və-sĕktə-mē ]


  1. Surgical removal of all or part of the vas deferens, resulting in sterility.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for vasectomy

vasectomy

[ (vuh-sek-tuh-mee, vay-zek-tuh-mee) ]


A surgical procedure in which the ducts that carry sperm out of the testes are cut and tied off so that no sperm can pass. Vasectomy is a form of male sterilization and is used as a method of birth control. The procedure has no effect on a man's capacity to produce semen; the only difference is that his semen will no longer contain sperm.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.