Plural of costectomy; surgical procedures involving the removal of one or more ribs.
From Greek kostos 'rib' plus -ectomy 'surgical removal.' A medical term combining ancient anatomical language with modern surgical terminology.
Costectomies are relatively rare today but were sometimes performed to access lungs or treat severe rib fractures—it's a procedure that shows how surgeons will remove even major bones if the benefit outweighs the cost.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.