lobotomy

noun

lo·​bot·​o·​my lō-ˈbä-tə-mē How to pronounce lobotomy (audio)
plural lobotomies
: surgical severance of nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus that has been performed especially formerly chiefly to treat mental illness

Examples of lobotomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rice’s description of lobotomies was, in a word, false. Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 Dec. 2024 Taking the same medicine to treat two different conditions is two different treatments, just as using a scalpel to remove a brain tumor is a different treatment than using a scalpel to perform a lobotomy. The Editors, National Review, 5 Dec. 2024 Although lobotomies were once common in the U.S., many of them nonconsensual, the American Medical Association denounced the practice as early as 1941 — barely half a decade after Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz invented the procedure. Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 Dec. 2024 Rather, Joe subjected his daughter to a new treatment for anxiety and other mental disorders—pre-frontal lobotomy. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lobotomy 

Word History

Etymology

lobe + -o- + -tomy

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lobotomy was in 1936

Dictionary Entries Near lobotomy

Cite this Entry

“Lobotomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lobotomy. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

lobotomy

noun
lo·​bot·​o·​my lō-ˈbät-ə-mē How to pronounce lobotomy (audio)
plural lobotomies
: surgical severance of nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus that has been performed especially formerly chiefly to treat mental illness

called also leukotomy

compare lobectomy

More from Merriam-Webster on lobotomy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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