1530s, a failed attempt to restore Greek spelling to the word that had got into English as surgeon. Related: Chirurgery. Compare French chirurgien, the modern spelling, which has been conformed to Latin.
Entries linking to chirurgeon
surgeon n.
c. 1300, sorgien, cirurgian "person who heals by manual operation on the patient," from Anglo-French surgien (13c.), from Old French surgien, cirurgien (13c.), from cirurgie "surgery," from Latin chirurgia "surgery," from Greek kheirourgia, from kheirourgos "working or done by hand," from kheir "hand" (from PIE root *ghes- "the hand") + ergon "work" (from PIE root *werg- "to do").
*ghes-
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "the hand."
It forms all or part of: chiral; chiro-; chirognomy; chirography; chirology; chiromancy; chiropodist; chiropractic; chiropractor; chirosophy; chirurgeon; enchiridion; surgeon; surgery; surgical.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek kheir, Hittite keshshar, Armenian jern "the hand"