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Dictionary · Word part

-desis

A word ending that means binding or fusing together by surgery.

DEE-sis suffix

What it means

The ending of names for surgeries that join parts so they no longer move apart. Arthrodesis fuses the bones of a joint, spondylodesis fuses bones of the spine (spinal fusion), and pleurodesis seals the two layers of the pleura together so fluid or air cannot build up around the lung.

Related terms

-otomy

A word ending that means cutting into, or a surgical incision.

-plasty

A word ending that means surgical repair or reshaping.

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