Surgical removal or partial removal of the clitoris, historically performed for various medical reasons.
From clitoris + Greek ektomē meaning 'cutting out' or 'excision.' The term emerged in medical English in the 1800s as a technical surgical procedure.
The history of clitoridectomy shows how medical practices can become harmful—what doctors once thought might cure conditions we now understand it never could, and this teaches us to question medical authority critically.
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