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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Trephine

Trephine \Tre*phine"\ (?; 277), n. [A dim. of 1st trepan: cf. F. tr['e]phine.] (Surg.) An instrument for trepanning, being an improvement on the trepan. It is a circular or cylindrical saw, with a handle like that of a gimlet, and a little sharp perforator called the center pin.

Trephine

Trephine \Tre*phine"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trephined; p. pr. & vb. n. Trephining.] To perforate with a trephine; to trepan.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
trephine

an improved kind of trepan, 1620s, from French trephine, which is said to be from Latin tres fines "three ends," but perhaps rather an arbitrary diminutive of trepan. As a verb from 1804. Related: Trephining; trephination.

Wiktionary
trephine

n. (context medicine English) A surgical instrument used to remove a circular section of bone from the skull; a trepan. vb. To use a trephine during surgery.

WordNet
trephine
  1. n. a surgical instrument used to remove sections of bone from the skull [syn: trepan]

  2. v. operate on with a trephine

Wikipedia
Trephine

A trephine (; from Greek trypanon, meaning an instrument for boring) is a surgical instrument with a cylindrical blade. It can be of one of several dimensions and designs depending on what it is going to be used for. They may be specially designed for obtaining a cylindrically shaped core of bone that can be used for tests and bone studies, cutting holes in bones (i.e., the skull) or for cutting out a round piece of the cornea for eye surgery.

A cylindrically shaped core of bone (or bone biopsy) obtained with a bone marrow trephine is usually examined in the histopathology department of a hospital under a microscope. It shows the pattern and cellularity of the bone marrow as it lay in the bone and is a useful diagnostic tool in certain circumstances such as bone marrow cancer and leukemia.

Usage examples of "trephine".

Indian doctors performed Caesarian operations, trephined for brain surgery and used anesthetics.

To one sitte there lay the grim saws, retractors, tenacula, scalpels, bistouries (sharp and blunt-pointed), forceps, trephines, single-edged amputating knives and catlings, arranged with loving care by Poll and her friend the bosun's wife's sister, both of whom wore starched aprons, bibs and sleeves, and white caps.

To one sitte there lay the grim saws, retractors, tenacula, scalpels, bistouries (sharp and blunt-pointed), forceps, trephines, single-edged amputating knives and catlings, arranged with loving care by Poll and her friend the bosun’s wife’s sister, both of whom wore starched aprons, bibs and sleeves, and white caps.

An array of grim saws, retractors, scalpels, forceps, trephines, catlings and other mysterious torture instruments were arranged with loving care by Mrs.

It wasn't just a simple trephining job that had been done on this increasingly mysterious liar.

I thought what would happen to his poor head, with the mark of trephining all the way around it, if I were to put the skull under the press and start applying it.