Definition of trephine
: a surgical instrument for cutting out circular sections (as of bone or corneal tissue)
trephine
transitive verbIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Origin and Etymology of trephine
French tréphine, from obsolete English trefine, trafine, from Latin tres fines three ends, from tres three + fines, plural of finis end — more at three
First Known Use: 1628
Medical Dictionary
noun
tre·phine
\ˈtrē-ˌfīn\
Medical Definition of trephine
: a surgical instrument for cutting out circular sections (as of bone or corneal tissue)
Learn More about trephine
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up trephine? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!