Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mastectomy

/ˌmæsˈtɛktəmi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.70 in modern English

Syllables: mas-tec-to-my
IPA: /ˌmæsˈtɛktəmi/

19

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The surgical procedure to remove all or part of a breast and sometimes nearby tissues.

Example Sentences

"Three years later came Angelina Jolie’s revelation that she had the BRCA1 gene, and had decided to have a double mastectomy. The story topped the news, and was written about for days afterwards."
"An estimate of U.S. “gender-affirming” double mastectomies published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported 3,125 cases of “breast or chest procedures” in patients ages 12 to 18 between 2016 to 2020."

Etymology

Etymology tree English mast- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs Proto-Hellenic *eks Ancient Greek ἐκ (ek) Ancient Greek ἐκ- (ek-) Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Ancient Greek τέμνω (témnō) Ancient Greek ἐκτέμνω (ektémnō) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek ἐκτομή (ektomḗ)der. English -ectomy English mastectomy From mast- + -ectomy.

Inflected Forms

mastectomies (plural) masectomy (alternative)

Derived Forms

mastectomee mastectomize postmastectomy premastectomy

Phrases

radical mastectomy

Synonyms

mammectomy

Rhymes With

hysterectomy vasectomy appendectomy prostatectomy lumpectomy hysterectomies tonsillectomy gastrectomy splenectomy cholecystectomy nephrectomy laminectomy

Questions

How do you pronounce mastectomy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmæsˈtɛktəmi/.
What does mastectomy mean?: The surgical procedure to remove all or part of a breast and sometimes nearby tissues.
Where does mastectomy come from?: Etymology tree English mast- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs Proto-Hellenic *eks Ancient Greek ἐκ (ek) Ancient Greek ἐκ- (ek-) Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Ancient Greek τέμνω (témnō) Ancient Greek ἐκτέμνω (ektémnō) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek ἐκτομή (ektomḗ)der. English -ectomy English mastectomy From mast- + -ectomy.

How to pronounce mastectomy

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mastectomy”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌmæsˈtɛktəmi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mastectomy”.
Repeat and practice — Say “mastectomy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.