Genuclast

/ˈdʒɛnjʊklæst/ noun

Definition

A surgical instrument designed to break or fracture the knee joint, or the procedure of deliberately breaking a knee for medical purposes.

Etymology

From Latin 'genu' (knee) + Greek 'klastos' (broken), combining medical Latin and Greek roots to describe a procedure of deliberately breaking bones at the knee joint.

Kelly Says

This word is a time capsule of painful medical history—knee-breaking procedures were actually performed to realign legs or correct deformities before modern orthopedic surgery made them obsolete.

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