trepan

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a surgical instrument used to remove sections of bone from the skull
  2. noun a drill for cutting circular holes around a center
  3. verb cut a hole with a trepan, as in surgery

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French trepan, from Latin trepanum, from Ancient Greek τρύπανον (trúpanon, “auger, borer”). Doublet of trephine.

In classic literature

Synonyms

trephine

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