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Glite Dictionary
to refracture

to refracture

9.8
To break a bone that healed wrong so it can heal correctly
  • verb
  • /rɪˈfræktʃər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : refracturar
  • After a year, the athlete refractured her leg during training.

Examples

  • The surgeon had to refracture her wrist to correct the misalignment.

  • The doctor had to refracture the bone to ensure proper healing.

  • After examining the X-ray, the doctor decided to refracture the poorly healed bone.

  • Sometimes it is necessary to refracture a limb in order to ensure proper healing.

  • After the doctor noticed the bone had healed incorrectly, he decided to refracture it to ensure proper alignment.

  • The athlete had to undergo surgery to refracture his ankle, which had not healed well after the initial injury.

  • To correct the poor healing of his arm, the surgeon needed to refracture the bone during the procedure.

Antonyms

to heal
481 1.2

To become healthy again after an injury, illness, or emotional pain

Surface Forms

refracture infinitive
refractured past
refractured past participle
refracturing present participle
refractures third person singular

Morphology

refracture = fracture (transparent) = re + fracture

The meaning is a straightforward application of the productive prefix 're-' to the verb 'fracture', meaning 'fracture again'.

Etymology

Refracture is made from re- meaning 'again' and fracture meaning 'break', so it literally means 'to break again'. The word fragment also uses the fract part and means 'a broken piece', so a refracture is breaking a bone again to correct how it healed.