Surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from a wound in order to prevent infection and promote healing

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 (context medicine English) The removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. 2 (context dentistry English) The removal of the dental tartar that has accumulated over teeth, typically ...

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
Debridement is the medical removal of dead , damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. Removal may be surgical , mechanical, chemical, autolytic (self-digestion), and by maggot therapy , where certain ...

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from a wound in order to prevent infection and promote healing

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"removal of damaged tissue from a wound," 1839, from French débridement , literally "an unbridling," from dé- (see de- ) + bride "bridle," from a Germanic source akin to Middle High German bridel (see bridle ). Related: debride , debriding .

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Debridement \De*bride"ment\, n. the surgical excision of dead, contaminated, or damaged tissue, and foreign matter, especially from a wound. [PJC] ||