/i lek'troh kaw"teuh ree/ , n. , pl. electrocauteries . Med.
1. a hand-held, needlelike cautery heated by an electric current.
2. Also, electrocauterization . the process of cutting and cauterizing skin simultaneously, or coagulating blood from vessels around a surgical incision, by means of an electrocautery.
[ 1880-85; ELECTRO- + CAUTERY ]