A surgical operation to remove the apex (tip) of a tooth root to treat an infection or disease at the root.
From Greek 'apeks' (apex, peak) + '-tomy' (cutting). The surgical suffix '-tomy' comes from Greek 'tome' meaning cut or incision. This medical term emerged in the 19th century as dental surgery advanced.
This is one of the most common dental surgeries performed today, yet most people call it a 'root canal' instead—the technical term 'apectomy' specifically refers to removing that tiny apex portion, which is the actual source of infection that dentists target.
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