verb
circumcise
To ritually cut away tissue from the external female genitals.
The historical account describes a ritual in which practitioners circumcised girls by cutting genital tissue.
Etymology
The pieces mean to cut around. The surgical term was extended to cutting away external female genital tissue, retaining the cutting idea despite differences in the procedures described.
More examples
- The report documents women who were circumcised as children.
- The witness explains that the ceremony involved circumcising girls.
- The historian records pressure on families to circumcise their daughters.
Forms
circumcise · circumcises · circumcised · circumcising
Similar words
- female genital cutting
- Female genital cutting is a more explicit term for the practices described by this use.