lobotomy

noun

lo·bot·o·my | \ lō-ˈbä-tə-mē

plural lobotomies

Definition of lobotomy

: surgical severance of nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus that has been performed especially formerly chiefly to treat mental illness

Examples of lobotomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Another remedy was lobotomy, pioneered by Egas Moniz, a Portuguese neurologist whose innovation earned him the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. — Richard J. Mcnally, WSJ, 13 May 2022 When Bruce was around 5, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, subjected to a prefrontal lobotomy and confined to mental institutions. — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2022 In 1949, Antonio Egas Moniz shared the prize for his development of the lobotomy, a controversial—and now discredited—surgical procedure to cut away parts of the brain in the hope of curing mental illness. — Robert Hart, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 The first series saw the nurse at its heart stirring up trouble in the lobotomy-friendly Lucia State Hospital in Northern California. — Mark Kennedy, Star Tribune, 13 July 2021 Tragically, a lobotomy in 1941 had left Rosemary in a wheelchair and with greatly limited speech — an injustice that Eunice never forgave. — Nick Maslow, PEOPLE.com, 9 July 2021 The lobotomy is a favorite, a swift blow with a hammer and ice pick straight through the eye socket. — Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2021 No aristocratic title is worth a voluntary lobotomy. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2021 Occasionally, Richards said, one of them winds up getting a lobotomy and the voices don’t work anymore. — Marc Bona, cleveland, 1 Mar. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lobotomy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near lobotomy

lobotomize

lobotomy

lobscouse

Statistics for lobotomy

Last Updated

18 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Lobotomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lobotomy. Accessed 29 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for lobotomy

lobotomy

noun

lo·bot·o·my | \ lō-ˈbät-ə-mē

plural lobotomies

Medical Definition of lobotomy

: surgical severance of nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus that has been performed especially formerly chiefly to treat mental illness

— called also leukotomy

— compare lobectomy