noun

amputation

am-pyuh-TAY-shuhn/ˌæmpjuˈteɪʃn/

Removal of a limb or other body part by surgery or injury.

After a below-knee amputation, the patient sits beside a prosthetic leg.

Respectful medical recovery illustration of an adult with a healed below-knee residual limb seated beside a prosthetic leg in a rehabilitation clinic, fully modest clothing, no wounds.

Etymology

amLatinaround

+putLatinto prune, trim

+ationLatinaction or process

The pieces evoke cutting around or pruning away. The resulting Latin verb meant cutting off, and English amputation applied both to pruning branches and to surgically removing a limb.

In context

Kyle Hill9:21

it is considered a major surgery and an amputation it is equivalent to cutting off the tips of your fingers

The Real Reason Cat Claws Are So Sharp

More examples

The operation involved a partial foot amputation.
The article discusses prosthetic options following amputation.
The accident caused a traumatic amputation of two fingers.

Forms

amputation · amputations

amputate verb — To surgically remove a limb or body part.

Similar words

removal: The broader word, without specifying loss of a body part.
resection: Usually describes surgical removal of a section of tissue.