-otomy
Meaning of -otomy: A syllable apart from removal and from a lasting opening, this ending means only that a structure was cut into.
Definition of -otomy
The suffix -otomy names a surgical cut made into a structure, without taking it out. A laparotomy opens the abdomen, a craniotomy opens the skull, a phlebotomy cuts into a vein. In some operations the incision is the whole procedure, and in others it is only the way in to something deeper, but either way the opening is closed afterward.
What does the ending mean on its own?
A cut, and no more than that. The structure named by the root is opened and stays in place. Sometimes the cut itself is the treatment: dividing a tight band of tissue relieves the pressure it was causing, and opening a duct lets trapped fluid drain. More often the cut is the route to the real work, so a term ending this way may describe the first step of an operation whose main event has a different name. The everyday word for the same cut is an incision.
How does it differ from -ostomy?
By whether the opening is meant to last. Two airway terms show the difference plainly, and they are the pair most often swapped in writing and in speech.
| Term | What is made | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| tracheotomy | a cut into the windpipe | closed once it is no longer needed |
| tracheostomy | an opening from windpipe to skin | kept open and maintained |
| colotomy | a cut into the colon | closed during the same operation |
| colostomy | the colon opened onto the abdomen | kept open, sometimes permanently |
Where does the o come from?
From the root, not the ending. The suffix is properly just tomy, and the o in front of it is the linking vowel that joins any root to an ending beginning with a consonant. Reading it that way makes the family obvious: osteotomy cuts bone, episiotomy cuts the tissue at the vaginal opening during birth, and a laparoscopy replaces the long abdominal cut with small ones. The contrast with removal stays sharp, since an appendectomy takes the appendix out while an appendicotomy would merely open it.
Terms built on -otomy
6 entries in this glossary use this word part. Each one follows the same pattern.
- anterior mediastinotomy A procedure in which a tube is inserted into the chest to view the tissues and organs in…
- craniotomy A craniotomy creates a temporary opening in the skull to give surgeons direct access to…
- laparotomy A laparotomy is an open surgical incision through the abdominal wall, performed to…
- parietal cell vagotomy Surgery to cut the parts of the vagus nerve that cause gastric acid to be made in the…
- phlebotomy Routine enough to be invisible, yet most laboratory results and every unit of donated…
- thoracotomy Ribs are spread apart to reach the lung, heart or esophagus, which is why recovery takes…
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The suffix -otomy indicated that the chest had been opened rather than any tissue removed.
Good to know
Tracheotomy and tracheostomy differ by whether the opening is closed or maintained, and the two are routinely used interchangeably in speech despite describing different results.
Word origin
Where “-otomy” comes from
From the Greek tome, a cutting, and temnein, to cut; the leading o is the linking vowel supplied by the root rather than part of the suffix itself.