lobotomy

noun lo·bot·o·my \ lō-ˈbä-tə-mē \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of lobotomy

plural lobotomies

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

See lobotomy defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of lobotomy from the Web

The world’s first transorbital lobotomy was performed in 1946 by Walter Freeman, in his Washington office.

— parul sehgal, New York Times, "Medicine Can Soothe a Troubled Mind, but Not Without Costs," 27 Feb. 2018
The Handmaid’s Tale star, 35, will bring to life the late Rosemary Kennedy, who underwent a lobotomy at the age of 23, in new film A Letter From Rosemary Kennedy.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Elisabeth Moss To Portray JFK's Sister Rosemary Kennedy Who Underwent a Secret Lobotomy at 23," 10 Feb. 2018
By the 1930s, frontal lobotomy was emerging as a treatment for mental illness.

— katherine foxhall, Smithsonian, "No, Getting a Hole Drilled in Your Head Was Never a Migraine Cure," 6 Mar. 2018
The presence of his adored Rose, who would spend her life in mental institutions after being given a prefrontal lobotomy, feels especially vivid.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Tennessee Williams, Restless and Revising," 12 Feb. 2018
And then, just like that, our glorious psychological lobotomy was wiped out.

— maria panaritis, Philly.com, "For Philly, this Super Bowl parade knocked the chip off our shoulders. Or did it? |Maria Panaritis," 8 Feb. 2018
When Rosemary was 23, Joe Kennedy decided his daughter should undergo a new, experimental procedure called a lobotomy as a way to soften her mood swings and unpredictable behavior.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Rose Kennedy's life and family memories on stage," 16 Jan. 2018
Her father made his grieving wife get a lobotomy after their son was killed in World War II (silhouettes of Beatrice’s zombie-like mother haunt the episode).

— lenika cruz, The Atlantic, "Where BoJack Horseman Season 4 Shone Brightest," 15 Dec. 2017
In 1992, then–Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton left the presidential campaign trail to oversee the execution of Ricky Ray Rector, a man with an IQ of 70 who gave himself a partial lobotomy.

— jessica brand, Slate Magazine, "Arkansas Is About to Execute Eight Men in Eleven Days," 30 Mar. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of lobotomy

International Scientific Vocabulary

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1936

See Words from the same year

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LOBOTOMY Defined for English Language Learners

lobotomy

noun

Definition of lobotomy for English Language Learners

medical : an operation in which part of the brain is cut in order to treat some mental disorders

Medical Dictionary

lobotomy

noun lo·bot·o·my \ lō-ˈbät-ə-mē \

medical Definition of lobotomy

plural lobotomies

: 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