Definition

A medical procedure that involves the surgical removal of stones from the urinary tract or the urinary bladder.

Example

The doctor recommended a lithotomy to remove the kidney stones.

Conversation

I heard you had a friend who needed a lithotomy recently.

Yeah, it was quite a serious procedure for kidney stones.

That sounds intense! How did everything go for them?

They’re recovering well now, but it was a tough experience.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Lithotomy → It is formed from "litho-" (from Greek "lithos", meaning stone) and "-tomy" (from Greek "tomia", meaning cutting). The word refers to the surgical procedure of cutting to remove stones from the body.

Memory Tip

Think of 'stone' ('lithos') being 'cut' ('tomia') during a surgical procedure — that's why lithotomy means cutting to remove stones.

Visually Confused Words