Meaning & use
Trepan
Last updated
A surgical instrument used to cut a circular hole in the skull; also used as a verb meaning to perform this procedure.
See it in a sentence
Ancient skulls have been found with holes made by a primitive trepan.
The surgeon used a modern trepan to relieve pressure on the patient's brain.
A note on using this word
Trepanning is one of the oldest known surgical procedures, with evidence of the practice dating back thousands of years.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. verb
To bore a hole into the skull using a trepan.
The ancient healer trepanned the patient in an attempt to relieve severe headaches.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Trepan”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.