Definition

A surgical procedure to remove the thyroid gland from the body.

Example

After the diagnosis, the doctor recommended a thyroidectomy to treat the patient's condition.

Conversation

Have you heard about my friend's surgery?

No, what happened?

She had to get a thyroidectomy because of some health issues.

Oh wow, I hope she's recovering well!

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Thyroidectomy → It is formed from "thyroid" (from Greek "thyreoeides", meaning shield-shaped, referring to the thyroid gland's shape) and "-ectomy" (from Greek "ektome", meaning excision or removal). The word describes the surgical removal of the thyroid gland.

Memory Tip

Think of the 'shield-shaped' ('thyreoeides') gland being 'removed' ('-ectomy') during surgery — that's what thyroidectomy means.

Visually Confused Words