ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷+ˈsizhən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English circumcisioun, from Old French circumcision, circoncision, from Late Latin circumcision-, circumcisio, from Latin circumcisus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the act of circumcising or being circumcised:
a. : the cutting off of the prepuce of males being practiced as a religious rite by Jews and Muslims and as a sanitary measure in modern surgery
b. : the cutting off of prepuce and clitoris being practiced as religious rites or as a practical or punitive measure by some primitive peoples
2. : spiritual purification
3. usually capitalized : a feast commemorating the circumcision of Jesus held on January 1 in the Roman Catholic, Eastern, and Anglican churches