sur ‧ ge ‧ ry S2 W2 /ˈsɜːdʒ ə ri $ ˈsɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural surgeries )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: cirurgie , from Latin , from Greek cheirourgia , from cheirourgos 'working with the hand' , from cheir 'hand' + ergon 'work' ]
1 . [uncountable] medical treatment in which a surgeon cuts open your body to repair or remove something inside ⇨ operation
surgery on
She required surgery on her right knee.
surgery for
He underwent surgery for lung cancer.
in surgery
She was in surgery for two hours Thursday.
⇨ ↑ cosmetic surgery , ↑ plastic surgery
2 . [uncountable] especially American English the place where operations are done in a hospital SYN operating room American English , theatre British English :
Dr. Hanson is in surgery.
3 . [countable] British English a place where a doctor or ↑ dentist gives treatment SYN office American English
4 . [uncountable] British English a regular period each day when people can see a doctor or ↑ dentist SYN office hours American English :
Surgery is from 9 am to 1 pm on weekdays.
5 . [countable] British English a special period of time when people can see a ↑ Member of Parliament to discuss problems
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have surgery
Leslie had surgery on her toe last year.
▪ undergo surgery formal (=have surgery)
He underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his chest.
|
There are risks if you choose to undergo surgery.
▪ do/carry out surgery ( also perform surgery formal )
A San Antonio doctor has volunteered to perform the surgery at no cost.
▪ need surgery ( also require surgery formal )
He is likely to need surgery in the near future.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + surgery
▪ successful
The surgery was successful and he’s recovering well.
▪ major/minor surgery
He will require major surgery to remove the lump.
|
The President will undergo minor surgery today to remove a small growth from his finger.
▪ heart/knee/brain etc surgery
She is now fit again after knee surgery.
▪ emergency surgery (=done quickly, in an emergency)
The teenager underwent emergency surgery after a bullet pierced her lung.
▪ cosmetic/plastic surgery (=surgery to improve someone’s appearance)
More and more people are choosing to have plastic surgery.
▪ laser surgery (=surgery done using a laser)
The doctor suggested laser surgery to improve her sight.
▪ keyhole surgery (=surgery done through a very small hole in the skin)
The operation will be done using keyhole surgery.
▪ elective surgery formal (=surgery that is not necessary, but you choose to have)
There are often long waiting times for elective surgery.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' make surgery '. For a doctor, say perform surgery or carry out surgery . For the patient, say have surgery or undergo surgery .
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ operation noun [countable] the process of cutting into someone’s body to repair or remove a part that is damaged:
He had an operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.
▪ procedure noun [countable] an operation performed in a particular way on a particular part of the body. Procedure is used especially in medical English, for example by doctors and people who work in hospitals. In everyday English people usually say operation :
a common surgical procedure
|
The procedure normally only takes a few minutes.
▪ transplant noun [countable] an operation to remove an organ from one person’s body and put it into another person’s body:
There is a shortage of donors for heart transplants.
|
She had to have a kidney transplant.
▪ surgery noun [uncountable] medical treatment involving an operation:
She required surgery on her right knee.
|
He was taken in for surgery.
▪ plastic surgery noun [uncountable] surgery to improve someone’s appearance:
The singer has just had plastic surgery on her nose.
▪ bypass noun [countable] an operation to make someone’s blood flow past a part of their heart that is blocked or damaged, often using a ↑ vein that has been removed from another part of their body:
He went into hospital for a triple heart bypass.
▪ skin graft an operation to repair an area of skin that has been badly damaged, especially using skin from another part of someone’s body:
Her leg was severely burned and may require a skin graft.