the surgical procedure of cutting into the gall bladder in order to extract gallstones
cholecystotomy in American English
(ˌkouləsɪˈstɑtəmi, ˌkɑlə-)
nounWord forms: plural-mies
Surgery
incision of the gallbladder
Word origin
[1875–80; chole- + cysto- + -tomy]This word is first recorded in the period 1875–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Diaspora, authoritarian, graph, knockabout, neoclassicchole- is a combining form meaning “bile,” “gall,” used in the formation of compound words.Other words that use the affix chole- include: cholecyst, cholecystitis, choledochostomy, cholelith, cholesterol; cysto- is a combining form representing cyst in the formation of compound words. Other words that use the affix cysto- include: cystocarp, cystolith, cystometer, cystoscope, cystostomy; -tomy is 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)