cesarean
cesarean Lexical Profile
cesarean Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
American Relating to or performed by a surgical incision through the walls of the abdomen and uterus for the delivery of a baby.
"The obstetrician recommended a cesarean delivery after labor failed to progress safely."
American Of or relating to Julius Caesar or the Roman emperors (usually capitalized).
"The historian analyzed the transition of the Roman Republic toward Cesarean autocracy."
• noun
American A surgical operation for delivering a child by cutting through the wall of the mother's abdomen and uterus.
"Because the twins were in a breech position, the doctors scheduled a cesarean for the following morning."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled "cesarean" primarily in American English and "caesarean" in British English; the term is often lowercased when referring to the medical procedure, though capitalized when referring to Julius Caesar or the Roman emperors.
• Rhymes for cesarean
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Latin family name Caesar, traditionally linked by Pliny the Elder to the verb caedere ("to cut") in reference to surgical childbirth, combined with the Roman legal requirement (Lex Caesarea) that a fetus be surgically removed if a pregnant woman died in childbirth.