hysterectomy

noun

hys·​ter·​ec·​to·​my ˌhi-stə-ˈrek-tə-mē 

plural hysterectomies

: surgical removal of the uterus

hysterectomized

ˌhi-stə-ˈrek-tə-ˌmīzd 

adjective

Examples of hysterectomy in a Sentence

a surgeon who has performed many hysterectomies

Recent Examples on the Web

Those who have undergone a total hysterectomy—the removal of the uterus and cervix—for non-cancerous conditions also don’t need further Pap testing, Manucha adds. —Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 4 Aug. 2025

There’s no exact cure outside of medication to shrink uterine fibroids and surgeries, which include a myomectomy (removal of fibroids while preserving the uterus), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), and uterine artery embolization (UAE). —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 30 July 2025

Instead, Black women are at least twice as likely to have a hysterectomy due to fibroids compared with white women, per Michigan Medicine. —Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025

For many years, hysterectomies, or the complete removal of the uterus and fallopian tubes with or without the ovaries, have been the mainstay of treatment for women with fibroids. —Nkem Osian, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hysterectomy

• appendectomy
• hepatectomy
• iridectomy
• laminectomy
• laryngectomy
• oophorectomy
• pneumonectomy
• prostatectomy
• sympathectomy
• thyroidectomy
• tonsillectomy
• adrenalectomy

Medical Definition

hysterectomy

noun

hys·​ter·​ec·​to·​my ˌhis-tə-ˈrek-tə-mē 

plural hysterectomies

: surgical removal of the uterus see ovariohysterectomy, panhysterectomy, radical hysterectomy, supracervical hysterectomy

hysterectomized adjective

also British hysterectomised

-tə-ˌmīzd