cesarean section
1
3.7
- noun
- /sɪˈzɛəriən ˈsɛkʃən/
- Specialized
:
cesárea
- During the delivery, the surgeon performed a cesarean section to address complications that arose.
Examples
-
The doctor explained that a cesarean section would be safer for both the mother and baby.
-
Obese pregnant women are more likely to have a complex birth and are more likely to have their baby delivered by emergency caesarean section.
Academic text (2012) -
After a long discussion, they decided on a cesarean section to ensure a timely delivery.
Synonyms
41
3.4
A surgery to deliver a baby by making cuts in the mother's abdomen and womb
12
3.6
An operation that delivers a baby through a cut in the mother's belly and womb
2
3.7
An operation to deliver a baby by cutting the mother's belly and womb
1
3.6
A birth by an operation where doctors cut the belly and womb
A baby born by an operation through the mother's belly and womb
A birth by an operation that cuts the mother's lower belly and womb to take out the baby
A medical operation to deliver a baby by cutting the mother's abdomen and womb
How Medical
- Specialized
1
3.7
- Archaic
4
4.0
15
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from 'cesarean' (pertaining to surgical childbirth) combined with 'section' (an incision or cutting), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a surgical delivery by incision. This adj+noun composition is compositional and cross-linguistically supported by common cognates, making the phrase predictable to B1 learners who know the parts.
Etymology
The term cesarean section may come from a Latin word meaning 'to cut' and from a popular story that Julius Caesar was born by such a cut. The image of a baby being taken out by a cut explains why the phrase means an 'operation to deliver a baby through a cut in the mother's belly'.