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cau·ter·y

(kôtə-rē)

n. pl. cau·ter·ies

1. An agent or instrument used to destroy abnormal tissue by burning, searing, or scarring, including caustic substances, electric currents, lasers, and very hot or very cold instruments.

2. The act or process of cauterizing.

[Middle English cauterie, from Latin cautērium, branding iron, cautery, from Greek kautērion, from kaiein, kau-, to burn.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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