- indicating a surgical cutting of a specified part or tissue: lobotomy
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
-tomy,
- a combining form meaning "cutting, incision'' of an organ, "excision'' of an object, as specified by the initial element (appendectomy; lithotomy);
also occurring in abstract nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -tomous (dichotomy). Cf. -tome, tomo-, -tomous.
- see -tome, -y3 representing Greek -tomia
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
-tomy n combining form
'-tomy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
colotomy
- dichotomy
- -ectomy
- episiotomy
- laparotomy
- leucotomy
- lithotomy
- lobotomy
- vagotomy
- arteriotomy
- autotomy
- celiotomy
- chemical sympathectomy
- cholecystotomy
- choledochotomy
- chordotomy
- colpotomy
- commissurotomy
- cordotomy
- costotomy
- craniotomy
- cyclotomy
- embryotomy
- encephalotomy
- entomo-
- gastrotomy
- herniotomy
- hymenotomy
- hysterotomy
- iridotomy
- keratotomy
- laryngotomy
- leukotomy
- microtomy
- myotomy
- myringotomy
- necrotomy
- nephrolithotomy
- nephrotomy
- neurotomy
- orchidotomy
- orchotomy
- osteotomy
- ovariotomy
- pancreatotomy
- phlebotomy
- polytomy
- postmastectomy
- postvasectomy
- pulpotomy