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Glite Dictionary
🛠️ To cut a hole 🛠️ A hole cutter
to trepan

to trepan

9.9
To cut a round hole in the skull during surgery
  • verb
  • /trəˈpæn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : trepanar
  • The surgeon had to trepan the patient's skull to relieve the pressure.

Examples

  • Modern neurosurgery rarely requires doctors to trepan the bone except in severe cases.

  • During the procedure, the doctor trepanned the patient's skull.

  • In ancient medicine, doctors would sometimes trepan to treat head injuries.

  • The surgeon will trepan the skull to relieve pressure.

  • Modern neurosurgery rarely requires doctors to trepan the skull unless absolutely necessary.

  • The surgeon had to trepan the patient's skull to relieve the pressure from the swelling.

  • In ancient medicine, practitioners would trepan the skull to treat various ailments.

Synonyms

to hole
vsto trepan
6 6.4

To make an opening in something by cutting or piercing

is a surgical cutting of the skull using a named instrument rather than general piercing
to trephine
vsto trepan
  • Specialized
9.9

To cut a round piece of bone from the skull with a surgical tool

uses a surgical instrument to cut a hole, not only circular bone pieces
to thurl
vsto trepan
  • Archaic
9.9

To make a hole through something with a tool

is specifically surgical using an instrument, not general or archaic hole making

Antonyms

to fill
∞ 1.0

To make a place full by putting people or things into it

to seal
457 2.5

To close something tightly to stop air or water getting in

How Invasive

to trepan
  • Specialized
9.9
to incise
7 7.9
to nick
33 3.5

Surface Forms

trepan infinitive
trepanned past
trepanned past participle
trepanning present participle
trepans third person singular

Etymology

Trepan comes from the same old Greek root trypanon, which meant 'to bore' or 'make a hole'. So to trepan is to 'drill' or cut a hole, especially in the skull, which explains its use in surgery.