English
surgical
Surgical comes from Middle French cirurgical, from Ancient Greek χειρουργῐκός ‘surgical, relating to surgery’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- ‘hand’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰes-‘hand’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰésōr‘hand’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰéhərreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχείρkheír‘hand’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργόςkheirourgós‘surgeon’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργῐκόςkheirourgĭkós‘surgical, relating to surgery’
- Late Latinmodernchīrurgicus
- Medieval Latinmoderncirurgicālis
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600cirurgical
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 2013surgical
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰes-‘hand’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰésōr‘hand’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰéhərreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχείρkheír‘hand’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργόςkheirourgós‘surgeon’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργῐκόςkheirourgĭkós‘surgical, relating to surgery’
- Late Latinmodernchīrurgicus
- Medieval Latinmoderncirurgicālis
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600cirurgical
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 2013surgical
Earliest quotation: 2013, -June, Alzheimer’s Disease: “Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial…”
Equivalent to surgery + -ical
Ancient Greek χειρουργία
Latin chīrūrgia ‘a surgery’
Old French surgerie
Middle English surgerie
English surgery
The story
Replaced Old English Old English læċe (‘doctor, physician’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- ‘hand’
host, millionaire, kilometre, garter, hasta, 39 more
through Ancient Greek χείρ ‘hand’
through Ancient Greek χειρουργός ‘surgeon’
Today it means
adj Of, relating to, used in, or resulting from surgery.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- / surgical