lobotomyn.

Brit.

/ləˈbɒtəmi/, U.S.

/ləˈbɑdəmi/

Etymology: < lob- (in lobe n.) + -o suffix + -tomy comb. form.

Surgery.

Incision into a lobe; spec. incision into the frontal lobe of the brain, esp. in the treatment of mental illness.

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the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > [noun] > operations on the brain

decerebration1900

hypophysectomy1909

lobectomy1911

pinealectomy1915

lobotomy1936

leucotomy1937

tractotomy1938

thalamotomy1948

topectomy1948

gyrectomy1949

hemispherectomy1950

stereotaxy1959

lobotomization1974

1936 Freeman & Watts in Med. Ann. District of Columbia V. 326 (heading) Prefrontal lobotomy in agitated depression.

1946 Lancet 29 June 953/2 Pain of organic disease relieved by prefrontal lobotomy.

1950 M. Greenblatt et al. Stud. in Lobotomy ii. 10 The English, however, use rather uniformly the more correct term ‘leucotomy’, in their description of the psychosurgical technic, whereas, in this country [sc. the U.S.A.], many still prefer the term ‘lobotomy’.

1972 Lancet 8 July 69/2 Schizophrenia is no longer a standard reason for performing any kind of lobotomy.

1973 Nature 23 Mar. 222/3 Unlike the classical lobotomy operation, which reached its height of popularity in the 1950s and was used on up to 50,000 people in the US, psychosurgery now rarely involves actually cutting into the brain.

figurative.1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 91 Success had been a lobotomy to my past, there seemed no power from the past which could help me in the present.1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 80/2 Even private screenings are not immune to artistic lobotomy, out-of-focus, and other chronic hazards.

Derivatives

loˈbotomize v. (transitive) to perform lobotomy on.

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the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > operations on specific parts or conditions > perform operation on specific part or condition [verb (transitive)] > operations on brain

hypophysectomize1912

pinealectomize1933

lobotomize1952

leucotomize1959

decerebrize-

figurative.

1952 B. Wolfe Limbo (1953) xxii. 368 I can tell you a thing or two about lobotomizing little rapists down to good little pacifists.

1953 W. S. Burroughs Junkie ix. 84 One night, I got lobotomized drunk in Frank's and went to a queer bar.

1963 H. C. Shands in H. I. Schneer Asthmatic Child vi. 78 Her brother had developed an intractible schizophrenic illness and had been lobotomized.

1971 ‘T. Coe’ Jade in Aries (1973) iv. 38 Manzoni can have our unfortunate friend committed, castrated, lobotomized and deported.

loˈbotomized adj. also figurative sluggish, stupefied.

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the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [adjective]

sloweOE

stuntc960

dullOE

hardOE

stuntlyc1000

sotc1050

dillc1175

dulta1225

simplea1325

heavy1340

astonedc1374

sheepishc1380

dull-witteda1387

lourd1390

steerishc1411

ass-likea1425

brainless?a1439

deafc1440

sluggishc1450

short-witted1477

obtuse1509

peakish1519

wearish1519

deaf, or dumb as a beetle1520

doileda1522

gross1526

headlessa1530

stulty1532

ass-headed1533

pot-headed1533

stupid?1541

sheep's head1542

doltish1543

dumpish1545

assish1548

blockish1548

slow-witted1548

blockheaded1549

surd1551

dull-headed1552

hammer-headed1552

skit-brained?1553

buzzardly1561

witless1562

log-headeda1566

assy1566

sottish1566

dastardly1567

stupidious1567

beetle-headed1570

calvish1570

bluntish1578

cod's-headed1578

grout-headed1578

bedaft1579

dull-pated1580

blate1581

buzzard-like1581

long-eared1582

dullard1583

woodena1586

duncical1588

leaden-headed1589

buzzard1592

dorbellical1592

dunstical1592

heavy-headeda1593

shallow-brained1592

blunt-witted1594

mossy1597

Bœotian1598

clay-brained1598

fat1598

fat-witted1598

knotty-pated1598

stupidous1598

wit-lost1599

barren1600

duncifiedc1600

lourdish1600

stockish1600

thick1600

booby1603

leaden-pated1603

partless1603

thin-headed1603

leaden-skulledc1604

blockhead1606

frost-brained1606

ram-headed1608

beef-witted1609

insulse1609

leaden-spirited1609

asininec1610

clumse1611

blockheadly1612

wattle-headed1613

flata1616

logger-headeda1616

puppy-headeda1616

shallow-patedc1616

thick-brained1619

half-headed1621

buzzard-blinda1625

beef-brained1628

toom-headed1629

thick-witted1634

woollen-witted1635

squirrel-headed1637

clod-pated1639

lean-souled1639

muddy-headed1642

leaden-witteda1645

as sad as any mallet1645

under-headed1646

fat-headed1647

half-witted1647

insipid1651

insulsate1652

soft-headed1653

thick-skulleda1657

muddish1658

non-intelligent1659

whey-brained1660

sap-headed1665

timber-headed1666

leather-headeda1668

out of (one's) tree1669

boobily1673

thoughtless1673

lourdly1674

logger1675

unintelligenta1676

Bœotic1678

chicken-brained1678

under-witted1683

loggerhead1684

dunderheaded1692

unintelligible1694

buffle-headed1697

crassicc1700

numbskulled1707

crassous1708

doddy-polled1708

haggis-headed1715

niddy-noddy1722

muzzy1723

pudding-headed1726

sumphish1728

pitcher-souleda1739

duncey1743

hebete1743

chuckheaded1756

dumb1756

duncely1757

imbecile1766

mutton-headed1768

chuckle-headed1770

jobbernowl1770

dowfarta1774

boobyish1778

wittol1780

staumrel1787

opaquec1789

stoopid1791

mud-headed1793

borné1795

muzzy-headed1798

nog-headed1800

thick-headed1801

gypit1804

duncish1805

lightweight1809

numbskull1814

tup-headed1816

chuckle-pate1820

unintellectuala1821

dense1822

ninnyish1822

dunch1825

fozy1825

potato-headed1826

beef-headed1828

donkeyish1831

blockheadish1833

pinheaded1837

squirrel-minded1837

pumpkin-headed1838

tomfoolish1838

dundering1840

chicken-headed1842

like a bump on a log1842

ninny-minded1849

numbheadeda1852

nincompoopish1852

suet-brained1852

dolly1853

mullet-headed1853

sodden1853

fiddle-headed1854

numb1854

bovine1855

logy1859

crass1861

unsmart1861

off his chump1864

wooden-headed1865

stupe1866

lean-minded1867

duffing1869

cretinous1871

doddering1871

thick-head1873

doddling1874

stupido1879

boneheaded1883

woolly-headed1883

leaden-natured1889

suet-headed1890

sam-sodden1891

dopey1896

turnip-headed1898

bonehead1903

wool-witted1905

peanut-headed1906

peanut-brained1907

dilly1909

torpid-minded1909

retardate1912

nitwitted1917

meat-headed1918

mug1922

cloth-headed1925

loopy1925

nitwit1928

lame-brained1929

dead from the neck up1930

simpy1932

nail-headed1936

square-headed1936

dingbats1937

pinhead1939

dim-witted1940

pea-brained1942

clueless1943

lobotomized1943

retarded1949

pointy-headed1950

clottish1952

like a stunned mullet1953

silly (or crazy) as a two-bob watch1954

out to lunch1955

pin-brained1958

dozy1959

eejity1964

out of one's tiny mind1965

doofus1967

twitty1967

twittish1969

twatty1975

twattish1976

blur1977

dof1979

goofus1981

dickheaded1991

dickish1991

numpty1992

cockish1996

the world > health and disease > healing > patient > [adjective] > having undergone specific operations or treatments

transfused1652

necropsied1919

sympathectomized1928

thyroparathyroidectomized1932

lobotomized1943

leucotomized1951

vegetablized1974

1943 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 27 Nov. 810/1 The lobotomized individual is friendly, good natured and indifferent to others' opinions.

1955 Sci. Amer. June 34/3 One interesting case was that of a lobotomized patient. When she was given LSD, she reverted to her pre-lobotomy depression.

1968 N.Y. Times 5 Feb. 29 It was the life and times of a tightly clustered and rather faceless group, which ended with a robotlike square dance. Mr. Sheppard's lobotomized shuffle was a joy to watch.

1971 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 50 [He] was explaining his reasons for calling the police onto the campus, a speech greeted for the most part with a lobotomized silence.

Draft additions 1997

loˌbotomiˈzation n. the performance of a lobotomy.

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