lobotomy — 1936, coined from LOBE (Cf. lobe) (in the brain sense) + medical suffix TOMY (Cf. tomy). Figurative use is attested from 1953. Now I guess I ll have to tell em That I got no cerebellum [Ramones, Teenage Lobotomy, 1977] … Etymology dictionary
lobotomy — ► NOUN (pl. lobotomies) ▪ a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, formerly used to treat mental illness … English terms dictionary
lobotomy — [lō bät′ə mē] n. pl. lobotomies [< LOBE + TOMY] a surgical operation in which a lobe of the brain, esp. the frontal lobe of the cerebrum, is cut into or across: now rarely used as a treatment for psychoses … English World dictionary
Lobotomy — A lobotomy (Greek: lobos: Lobe of brain, tomos: cut/slice ) is a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy (from Greek leukos: clear or white and tomos meaning cut/slice ). It consists of cutting the connections to and from… … Wikipedia
Lobotomy — (from 1935) Also called leukotomy. Although the Swiss psychiatrist and asylum director Gottlieb Burckhardt (1836–1907) had earlier made some tentative and quite unsuccessful efforts at operating on the brain for psychiatric indications (see … Historical dictionary of Psychiatry
lobotomy — /leuh bot euh mee, loh /, n., pl. lobotomies. Surg. 1. the operation of cutting into a lobe, as of the brain or the lung. 2. See prefrontal lobotomy. * * * Surgical procedure in which nerve pathways in a lobe or lobes of the brain are severed… … Universalium
lobotomy — UK [ləʊˈbɒtəmɪ] / US [ləˈbɑtəmɪ] noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms lobotomy : singular lobotomy plural lobotomies medical a medical operation in which part of someone s brain is removed as a way of treating serious mental illness … English dictionary
lobotomy — Synonyms and related words: amygdalotomy, ankylotomy, arteriotomy, blepharotomy, caesarean, cardiotomy, celiotomy, cholecystotomy, cirsotomy, coccygotomy, colpotomy, craniotomy, cystotomy, embryotomy, enterotomy, gastroenterotomy, gastrotomy,… … Moby Thesaurus
lobotomy — [[t]ləbɒ̱təmi[/t]] lobotomies N VAR A lobotomy is a surgical operation in which some of the nerves in the brain are cut in order to treat severe mental illness. [MEDICAL] … English dictionary
lobotomy n — I d rather have a full bottle in front of me than have a full frontal lobotomy … English expressions