laparo-comb. form

rarely before a vowel lapar-, combining form of Greek λαπάρᾱ flank, < λαπαρός soft, in modern terms of Anatomy, Surgery, etc. lapaˈrectomy n. [ < Greek ἐκτομ-, ἐκτέμνειν to cut out] ‘an excision or cutting out of a portion of the intestine at the side’ ( New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon 1888). ˈlaparocele n. [Greek κήλη tumour] †(a) ventral hernia at the flank or side of the belly; (b) lumbar hernia. ˈlaparotome n. [Greek -τόμος cutter] an instrument for performing laparotomy (1855 in Mayne Expos. Lexicon Med. Sci. s.v. Laparotomus). lapaˈrotomy n. [Greek -τομία cutting] a cutting through the abdominal walls into the cavity of the abdomen; hence (in some recent dictionaries.) ˌlaparoˈtomic adj. pertaining to laparotomy. lapaˈrotomist n. one who performs laparotomy. lapaˈrotomize v. (transitive) to perform laparotomy upon. Also prefixed to the names of various surgical operations to denote that they are performed by cutting through the abdominal wall, as in ˌlaparocoˈlotomy, ˌlaparoenteˈrotomy, laparohysteˈrectomy: for these and many similar terms see Mayne Expos. Lexicon Med. Sci. (1855) and New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon (1888).