Noun: trephine tri'fIn
- A surgical instrument used to remove sections of bone from the skull
"The neurosurgeon used a trephine during the delicate brain surgery";
- trepan
- Operate on with a trephine
"The surgeon trephined the patient's skull to relieve pressure"
Derived forms: trephined, trephines, trephining
Type of: operate, operate on, surgical instrument
Encyclopedia: Trephine