transorbital lobotomy
- noun
- /trænˈsɔrbɪtəl ləˈbɒtəmi/
- NSFW
- A TRANSORBITAL LOBOTOMY THROUGH THE EYE SOCKET.
Examples
-
During the 1940s, many patients underwent a transorbital lobotomy to treat severe mental disorders.
-
You ever heard of a transorbital lobotomy?
-
Procedures like the transorbital lobotomy.
-
The procedure I'm about to do is called a transorbital lobotomy.
-
The doctor explained that a transorbital lobotomy involves inserting a surgical instrument through the eye socket to sever brain fibers.
-
In this historic video, you can see how a transorbital lobotomy is performed using a simple tool inserted above the eye.
Synonyms
An operation that cuts nerves in the front brain to treat mental illness, often changing personality and thinking
An operation that cuts connections in the front part of the brain and often changes thinking and personality
Surgery that cuts connections in the front of the brain, once used to treat mental illness but often changes personality
A surgery that cuts the connections from the brain's frontal lobe, often causing big changes in personality and thinking
A brain surgery that cuts connections in the front part of the brain and often changes personality
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound's meaning is directly and transparently derived from its parts: 'transorbital' (through the orbital cavity) specifies the route and 'lobotomy' (surgery severing brain pathways) specifies the procedure, so a learner knowing both constituents can infer a lobotomy performed through the eye socket. This follows common medical compounding patterns and similar constructions exist in other languages, making the sense predictable for learners who know the component words.
Etymology
Transorbital lobotomy comes from its literal method: trans means 'through', orbital refers to the eye socket, and lobotomy means cutting part of the brain. Doctors once pushed a tool under the eyelid and through the eye socket to cut connections in the front of the brain. That's why the phrase means 'a surgical method using the eye socket to cut brain connections' and why the practice is now rejected.