operation of cutting out a bladder stone, 1721; see litho- "stone" + -tomy "a cutting." Greek lithotomia meant "place where stone is cut; a quarry" (lithotomos is "stone-cutter").
Entries linking to lithotomy
litho-
before vowels, lith-, word-forming element meaning "stone, rock;" from Greek lithos "stone, a precious stone, marble; a piece on a game board," a word of unknown origin.
-tomy
word-forming element meaning "a cutting" (especially a surgical incision or removal), from Greek -tomia "a cutting of," from tome "a cutting, section" (from PIE root *tem- "to cut").