Etymograph

English

surgery

Surgery comes from Old French surgerie, from Latin chīrūrgia, from Greek χειρουργία, from χείρ ‘hand’ + ἔργον ‘work’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργία1kheirourgíā̆
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEchīrūrgia1‘a surgery’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400surgerie1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500surgerie1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1972surgery1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English surgery
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1972, James Herriot: “Surgery is from six to seven o’clock. If you…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργίαWiktionary, English surgerykheirourgíā̆
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEchīrūrgiaWiktionary, English surgery‘a surgery’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400surgerieWiktionary, English surgery
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500surgerieWiktionary, English surgery
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1972surgeryWiktionary, English surgery. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1972, James Herriot: “Surgery is from six to seven o’clock. If you…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- ‘hand’

host, millionaire, kilometre, garter, hasta, 38 more

through Ancient Greek χείρ ‘hand’

chiral, surgically, neurosurgical, 36 more

through Ancient Greek χειρουργός ‘craftsman’

surgical, 34 more

Today it means

noun The act or process of medical intervention involving incisions to remove, repair, or replace a part of a body; an instance of this process (a procedure).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “surgery”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek χειρουργία / surgery

Shirt and support for this word