Noun: cautery ko-tu-ree
- The act of coagulating blood and destroying tissue with a hot iron or caustic agent or by freezing
"cautery was used to stop the bleeding and seal the wound";
- cauterization, cauterisation [Brit]
- An instrument or substance used to destroy tissue for medical reasons (e.g., removal of a wart) by burning it with a hot iron or an electric current or a caustic or by freezing it
"The doctor used a cautery to remove the skin lesion";
- cauterant
Derived forms: cauteries
Type of: instrument, op [informal], operation, surgery, surgical operation, surgical procedure, surgical process
Encyclopedia: Cautery