morcellate

English

Alternative forms

• morcelate

Etymology

From French morceler (“to break into pieces”).

Verb

morcellate (third-person singular simple present morcellates, present participle morcellating, simple past and past participle morcellated)

1. (surgery) To break into small pieces, prior to removal
   • 1919, Barton Cooke Hirst, Atlas of operative gynecology, Lippincott, page 175:

     …forceps are then enucleated if its size is small or morcelated by the excision of piece after piece until the remaining small part of the growth can be extracted after enucleaction. A large cavity is left behind which is packed with gauze: in vaginal myomecotomy, a closure of the tumor cavity by suture is usually impracticable.

Related terms

• morcellation
• morcellator