trocar

noun

tro·​car ˈtrō-ˌkär 

variants or less commonly trochar

: a sharp-pointed surgical instrument fitted with a cannula and used especially to insert the cannula into a body cavity as a drainage outlet

Examples of trocar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is performed using a needle called a trocar while the patient is lying on their stomach. —Smita Patel, Verywell Health, 12 July 2024

Torres then uses the trocar to flood the abdomen with embalming fluids, before sealing the body once again. —Eleanor Cummins, Popular Mechanics, 22 Feb. 2023

To stop the body from swelling, Torres makes a small incision near the belly button and inserts a 2-foot-long hollow device called a trocar. —Eleanor Cummins, Popular Mechanics, 22 Feb. 2023

The funeral director then removes excess fluids and gases from the abdominal and thoracic cavities using an instrument called a trocar. —Mark Evely, The Conversation, 15 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

French trocart, alteration of trois-quart from trois three + carre edge

First Known Use

circa 1706, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

trocar

noun

tro·​car

variants also trochar

ˈtrō-ˌkär 

: a sharp-pointed surgical instrument fitted with a cannula and used especially to insert the cannula into a body cavity as a drainage outlet