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scarification

scarification

1 9.0
A medical treatment that makes small cuts in the skin to help a wound heal or drain pus
  • noun
  • /ˌskærɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : escarificación
  • Today, the process of scarification and tattooing is usually discussed as a feature-enhancing cosmetic that, like dots of polish, adds to a woman's attractiveness.

Examples

  • Very often, the treatment included scarification or small cuts in the skin, sometimes over the offending organ or the source of pain.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The doctor recommended scarification to help treat the patient's stubborn skin lesion.

  • During the procedure, the surgeon used scarification on the affected area to stimulate healing.

  • After the scarification, the skin began to heal more effectively and blood flow improved.

Antonyms

27 4.4

A blockage that stops liquid or air moving through a pipe

How Invasive

severing
  • NSFW
2 5.8
surgical operation
  • Specialized
2 3.0
incision
  • Specialized
87 5.3
scarification
  • Specialized
1 9.0
abrasion
41 4.8

Surface Forms

scarification singular

Morphology

scarification = scarify (transparent) = scar + ify + ation

Formed by adding the productive nominalizing suffix '-ation' to the verb 'scarify'; the process meaning is a direct nominalization.

Etymology

Scarification comes from scar, a word for a healed mark or cut, and the idea is 'to make a scar'. In medicine it means making small cuts to let a wound drain or to help it heal, so the origin explains the practice.