Standard Lemma guide

incision

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪnˈsɪʒən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪʒən
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S IH1 ZH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A cut, especially one made by a scalpel or similar medical tool in the context of surgical operation; the scar resulting from such a cut.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The act of cutting into a substance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Separation or solution of viscid matter by medicines.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A cut-back

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: ball-games, games, hobbies, lifestyle, soccer, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: section, surgical incision

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cut, cutting

Narrower terms: gastromy, perineotomy, laparotomy, orchotomy, sclerotomy, nephrotomy, thoracotomy, valvotomy, valvulotomy, venesection, phlebotomy, vasotomy, vasosection

6

noun

Meaning 6

a depression scratched or carved into a surface

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scratch, prick, slit, dent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: depression, impression, imprint

Narrower terms: score, scotch

History

Etymology

From Middle English inscicioun, from Middle French incision, from Late Latin incisiō from the verb incidō (“to cut into”) + action noun suffix -iō.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شَقّ (šaqq) — cut
  • Bulgarian: резка (rezka) — cut
  • Bulgarian: разрез (razrez) — cut
  • Catalan: incisió — cut
  • Finnish: insisio — cut
  • Finnish: viilto — cut
  • French: incision — cut
  • Galician: incisión — cut
  • Georgian: ჭრილი (č̣rili) — cut
  • German: Einschnitt — cut
  • Greek: τομή (tomí) — cut
  • Greek: εντομή (entomí) — cut
  • Hebrew: חֲתָךְ (khatakh) — cut
  • Hungarian: bemetszés — cut
  • Indonesian: insisi — cut
  • Italian: incisione — cut
  • Macedonian: за́сек (zásek) — cut
  • Marshallese: bukwabok — cut
  • Polish: cięcie — cut
  • Portuguese: incisão — cut
  • Romanian: incizie — cut
  • Russian: разреза́ние (razrezánije) — cut
  • Russian: надре́з (nadréz) — cut
  • Russian: зару́бка (zarúbka) — cut
  • Spanish: incisión — cut
  • Spanish: cisura — cut
  • Spanish: incisura — cut