Surgery in different languages

Surgery in Different Languages

Discover 'Surgery' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Surgery, a significant and often intimidating concept, has been a crucial aspect of medical care for centuries. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it has saved countless lives and allowed for advancements in various fields. From ancient civilizations like Egypt and Greece to modern-day operating rooms, surgery has evolved tremendously, reflecting our growing understanding of the human body and its intricacies.

As the world becomes more interconnected, knowing the translation of 'surgery' in different languages can be beneficial. For instance, medical professionals seeking international opportunities, global travelers requiring medical assistance, or even language enthusiasts exploring cultural nuances will find such knowledge valuable.

Did you know that the term 'surgery' comes from the Greek words 'cheir' meaning hand and 'ergon' meaning work? Or that the oldest known surgical text, the Edwin Smith Papyrus, dates back to around 1600 BCE? These fascinating facts highlight the rich history associated with the word 'surgery'.

Now, let's explore how this vital term is translated across various languages and cultures:

Surgery


Surgery in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanschirurgie
In Afrikaans, chirurgie retains its original Greek etymology as manual work.
Amharicቀዶ ጥገና
The Amharic word "ቀዶ ጥገና" also means "healing an injury" or "curing an illness".
Hausatiyata
The Hausa word 'tiyata' is said to have originated from the Arabic word 'tibb', which denotes medicine or treatment.
Igboịwa ahụ
The Igbo word "ịwa ahụ" (surgery) is also used in some contexts to refer to "the act of carving".
Malagasyfandidiana
The verb "fandidi" in Malagasy can also mean "to sew", "to stitch", and "to mend", suggesting the close association between surgery and needlework in the Malagasy worldview.
Nyanja (Chichewa)opaleshoni
The word "opaleshoni" is derived from the English word "operation".
Shonakuvhiya
Kuvhiya is derived from the Proto-Bantu term *ku-fwira* ("to cut, to sever") and is related to the Swahili term "kufaa" ("to die")
Somaliqalliin
The Somali word "qalliin" can also refer to a surgical procedure or a wound.
Sesothoho buoa
In Sesotho, "ho buoa" shares its root with "boea," meaning "to heal," connecting surgery with mending and recovery.
Swahiliupasuaji
In Swahili, the term "upasuaji" is also used in a more traditional context to refer to the act of applying herbal remedies and performing incisions for healing purposes.
Xhosautyando
The Xhosa word "utyando" is derived from the verb "utyanda", meaning "to cut". It can also refer to "circumcision" or "castration" in certain contexts.
Yorubaabẹ
The word "abẹ" in Yoruba can also mean "incision", "wound", or " scar", emphasizing the physical aspect of surgery.
Zuluukuhlinzwa
The word "ukuhlinzwa" in Zulu is derived from the verb "ukuhla", meaning "to cut", and the passive suffix "-wa", indicating that an action is being performed on someone or something.
Bambaraoperelikɛyɔrɔ
Eweamekoko
Kinyarwandakubaga
Lingalalipaso
Lugandaokuloongoosa
Sepedikaro
Twi (Akan)sɛɛgyiri

Surgery in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicجراحة
جراحة was used to mean "experience" or "knowledge" before it came to mean "surgery".
Hebrewכִּירוּרגִיָה
The Hebrew word כִּירוּרגִיָה derives from the Greek word χειρουργία, meaning "handwork" or "work done by hand".
Pashtoجراحي
The Pashto word "جراحي" is ultimately derived from the Greek word "kheirourgos," which refers to a surgeon or the art of surgery.
Arabicجراحة
جراحة was used to mean "experience" or "knowledge" before it came to mean "surgery".

Surgery in Western European Languages

Albanianoperacioni
Operacioni's etymological root in Sanskrit means 'to help', referring to the healing aspect of surgery.
Basqueebakuntza
The word "ebakuntza" in Basque contains the morpheme "ebak", which means "to cut" or "to divide".
Catalancirurgia
The Catalan word "cirurgia" comes from the Greek "kheirourgia", meaning "handwork" or "manual labor."
Croatianoperacija
The word "operacija" in Croatian comes from the Latin word "operatio", meaning "action" or "performance".
Danishkirurgi
Kirurgi is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia," meaning "handwork" or "manual labor."
Dutchchirurgie
"chirurgie" is French for "surgery" and in Old Dutch it also meant "craft" (like in "black magic")
Englishsurgery
"Surgery" derives from the Greek "cheirourgia," meaning "handwork" or "manual work."
Frenchchirurgie
The word
Frisiansjirurgy
Frisian term 'sjirurgy' ('surgery') comes from Greek 'cheirourgia' ('manual work')
Galiciancirurxía
The word "Cirurxía" in Galician originally referred only to bloodletting but nowadays has the broader meaning of "surgery".
Germanoperation
In German, 'Operation' also refers to mathematical and logical procedures and can be used to denote military campaigns.
Icelandicskurðaðgerð
The Icelandic word 'skurðaðgerð' is derived from the Old Norse 'skurðr' meaning 'gash' or 'cut', and 'gerð' meaning 'action'.
Irishmáinliacht
The word "máinliacht" is also used to refer to the skill of a surgeon or the practice of surgery in general.
Italianchirurgia
The word "chirurgia" derives from the Greek word "kheirourgia," meaning "handicraft" or "manual work."
Luxembourgishoperatioun
The word 'Operatioun' (surgery) in Luxembourgish derives from the French 'opératoire' via Middle Low German 'operacie', and originally referred to a medical intervention performed on a living organism.
Maltesekirurġija
The word "kirurġija" is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia", meaning "handwork" or "manual operation."
Norwegiankirurgi
In some dialects, «kirurgi» refers to a large knife.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)cirurgia
The word "cirurgia" is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia", which means "handwork" or "manual operation."
Scots Gaelicobair-lannsa
The word "obair-lannsa" is cognate with the Irish word "oibriú lámh" meaning "handwork". It has also been used to refer to fine metalworking and woodworking.
Spanishcirugía
Cirugía is derived from the Greek word kheirourgia, meaning "handwork" or "manual labor".
Swedishkirurgi
"Kirurgi" is derived from the Greek word "kheirourgia", meaning "handwork".
Welshllawdriniaeth
'llawdriniaeth' is used to describe a surgical procedure and also, in a more general sense, to refer to surgical healing

Surgery in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianхірургічнае ўмяшанне
Bosnianoperacija
The word 'operacija' has an additional meaning in Bosnian, referring to the act of harvesting agricultural crops or fruit.
Bulgarianхирургия
In Greek, χειρουργία literally means "working with hands".
Czechchirurgická operace
The word comes from the Greek "cheir" (hand) and "ergon" (work).
Estoniankirurgia
The word "kirurgia" in Estonian derives from the Greek word "cheirourgia", which means "handwork" or "surgery".
Finnishleikkaus
Leikkaus also means 'intersection' in Finnish.
Hungariansebészet
The word "sebészet" comes from the Hungarian word "seb" meaning "wound".
Latvianoperācija
"Operācija" derives from Latin "operatio" meaning "action, labor" and has a similar meaning in modern Latvian, referring to various types of actions and transformations, including those in medical, IT and other domains.
Lithuanianoperacija
The word "operacija" can also mean "transaction" or "operation" in a mathematical sense.
Macedonianхирургија
The word "хирургија" (surgery) originates from the Greek word "cheirourgia", which means "hand work". It is the treatment of disease or injury by manual or instrumental methods.
Polishoperacja
The Polish word "operacja" derives from the Latin "operatio," meaning "action" or "work."
Romanianinterventie chirurgicala
The word "interventie chirurgicala" derives from the Latin "intervenire", meaning "to come between" or "to interfere."
Russianоперация
Операция is a false friend, deriving from the Russian word “operatsiya” (cooperation)
Serbianхирургија
The word "хирургија" ultimately derives from the Greek word "χειρουργία", meaning "handwork" or "manual operation".
Slovakchirurgický zákrok
The term 'chirurgický zákrok' is not to be confused with 'chirurgická operácia', which refers specifically to a surgical procedure that aims to remove or correct a damaged body part or organ.
Slovenianoperacija
The word "operacija" also means "operation" in the mathematical sense.
Ukrainianхірургія
The English word “surgery” is a derivative of the Greek word “kheirourgia” which literally means “hand-work”.

Surgery in South Asian Languages

Bengaliসার্জারি
আগে লাতিন 'cirurgia' কথা থেকে তৈরি সংস্কৃত কথা 'শুশ্রূষা' আসে, আর তা 'সংশ্রূষ' থেকে, যেখানে প্রথম শব্দের অর্থ 'সঠিক' ও মাদুলী মূল অর্থ 'যত্ন করা'।
Gujaratiશસ્ત્રક્રિયા
'શસ્ત્રક્રિયા' ('surgery' in Gujarati) originates from the Sanskrit words 'śastra' meaning instrument or weapon, and 'kriya' meaning action, hence denoting an action performed with a surgical instrument.
Hindiशल्य चिकित्सा
"शल्य" means "pertaining to surgery" and "चिकित्सा" means "medical treatment", so "शल्य चिकित्सा" literally means "medical treatment of surgical conditions".
Kannadaಶಸ್ತ್ರಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ
In medical context, the word 'ಶಸ್ತ್ರಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ' (shastra chikitsa) is derived from 'shastra' (weapon) and 'chikitsa' (treatment), referring to the use of instruments in medical procedures.
Malayalamശസ്ത്രക്രിയ
The word 'ശസ്ത്രക്രിയ' (surgery) can also refer to 'using weapons' or 'performing surgical instruments'.
Marathiशस्त्रक्रिया
The word 'शस्त्रक्रिया' in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word 'shastra', meaning instrument or weapon, and 'kriya', meaning action.
Nepaliशल्यक्रिया
Surgery is derived from the Greek word kheirourgia, meaning 'handwork'.
Punjabiਸਰਜਰੀ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)සැත්කම්
In Sinhalese, "සැත්කම්" (surgery) also refers to any skilled work or craftsmanship requiring great attention and precision, or the act of putting something together, such as a machine or a house.
Tamilஅறுவை சிகிச்சை
"அறுவை சிகிச்சை" literally means "six branches of knowledge" in Tamil, referring to the six essential branches of knowledge required for a surgeon: anatomy, physiology, pathology, diagnosis, therapeutics and surgery.
Teluguశస్త్రచికిత్స
"శస్త్రచికిత్స" means "the act of healing" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "śastra", meaning "instrument" or "weapon", and "cikitsā", meaning "healing" or "treatment".
Urduسرجری
سرجری in Urdu not only means "surgery", but can also mean "adorned" or "decorated."

Surgery in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)手术
"手术"源自"手之术",原指中医的按摩推拿等手法治疗.
Chinese (Traditional)手術
"手術" in Chinese means "surgery," but its original meaning was "to move the hands to perform an operation."
Japanese手術
The word "手術" (shujutsu, surgery) originally meant "hand method" and was used in acupuncture and moxibustion.
Korean수술
The word "수술" is derived from the Chinese word "手術", which means "to cut apart".
Mongolianмэс засал
The word
Myanmar (Burmese)ခွဲစိတ်ကုသမှု

Surgery in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianoperasi
Operasi is also used colloquially to mean "investigation" or "action".
Javaneseoperasi
Operation or surgery in Javanese is disebut operasi is a derivative from Dutch word operatie, or from English operation.
Khmerការវះកាត់
This word can also be used to mean bowing down respectfully to a person or object.
Laoການຜ່າຕັດ
Malaypembedahan
"Pembedahan" is derived from the Sanskrit word "bedah," meaning "to cut".
Thaiศัลยกรรม
The Thai word ศัลยกรรม (pronounced 'san-lian-kam') originates from the Pali language and means 'a process of cutting or operating' and 'to cure'. In modern Thai, it refers to any type of medical procedure involving incisions or alterations to the body.
Vietnamesephẫu thuật
Phẫu thuật is derived from the Chinese characters 剖 (cut) and 術 (art, skill).
Filipino (Tagalog)operasyon

Surgery in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanicərrahiyyə
The term "cərrahiyyə" derives from the Arabic word "jarahah","wound", which also shares the same root with the word "jarrah","surgeon".
Kazakhхирургия
The Kazakh word "хирургия" is derived from the Greek word "cheirourgia", which means "hand work".
Kyrgyzхирургия
"Хирургия" (surgery) in Kyrgyz comes from the Greek word "cheirourgia", meaning "handwork" or "manual labor."
Tajikҷарроҳӣ
In modern Tajik "ҷарроҳӣ" is derived from the Arabic word "jarraha" (to cut) and in addition to meaning "surgery" it also means "wounding" or "injury".
Turkmenoperasiýa
Uzbekjarrohlik
The word "jarrohlik" comes from the Persian word "jarrah", which means "surgeon".
Uyghurئوپېراتسىيە

Surgery in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianʻoki kino
'Oki kino' literally translates to 'bone cutting', reflecting the ancient practice of using sharpened shells to perform surgeries.
Maoripokanga
The term pokanga's literal translation means 'to open out a space'
Samoantaʻotoga
The word "taʻotoga" also means "a place of rest or lying down" in Samoan.
Tagalog (Filipino)operasyon
In Tagalog, "operasyon" not only refers to a surgical procedure but also to any form of activity or process.

Surgery in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarakhariyasiña
Guaraniñembovo

Surgery in International Languages

Esperantokirurgio
Esperanto's "kirurgio" also relates to the "hand" as in French "chirurgie".
Latinsurgery
Derived from the Greek word "cheirourgia" meaning "handwork" and the Latin word "chirurgia" meaning "manual operation".

Surgery in Others Languages

Greekχειρουργική επέμβαση
Χειρουργική (kheirourgiki) comes from the Greek words "kheir" (hand) and "ergon" (work) and originally meant "manual work" or "craftsmanship"}
Hmongkev phais mob
The word "kev phais mob" originated in Chinese medicine and originally meant "to cure a wound by cutting it open."
Kurdishemelî
In Kurdish, the word "emelî" also means "hope" or "desire".
Turkishameliyat
The word 'ameliyat' is cognate with the French 'amélioration', meaning 'improvement', as it refers to the act of 'improving' the patient's condition.
Xhosautyando
The Xhosa word "utyando" is derived from the verb "utyanda", meaning "to cut". It can also refer to "circumcision" or "castration" in certain contexts.
Yiddishכירורגיע
"כירורגיע" (surgery) is derived from the Greek "cheirourgia" (χειρουργία), meaning "handwork" or "manual labor". In Yiddish, it took on the specific meaning of "surgery".
Zuluukuhlinzwa
The word "ukuhlinzwa" in Zulu is derived from the verb "ukuhla", meaning "to cut", and the passive suffix "-wa", indicating that an action is being performed on someone or something.
Assameseঅস্ত্ৰোপচাৰ
Aymarakhariyasiña
Bhojpuriसर्जरी
Dhivehiސަރޖަރީ
Dogriसर्जरी
Filipino (Tagalog)operasyon
Guaraniñembovo
Ilocanooperasion
Krioɔpreshɔn
Kurdish (Sorani)نەشتەرگەری
Maithiliशल्य-चिकित्सा
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯦꯟꯕ
Mizoinzai
Oromobaqaqsanii yaaluu
Odia (Oriya)ଅସ୍ତ୍ରୋପଚାର
Quechuacirugia
Sanskritशल्य-चिकित्सा
Tatarхирургия
Tigrinyaመጥባሕቲ
Tsongavuhandzuri

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