word-forming element meaning "act or process of forming," also "plastic surgery" applied to a specific part, from Greek -plastia, from plastos "molded, formed," verbal adjective from plassein "to mold" (see plasma).

1879, American English, formulated by Dr. Joseph Lawrence and Jordan Wheat Lambert as a multi-purpose disinfectant and anti-septic for surgery. In 1895, after it was discovered to kill germs commonly found in the mouth, the Lambert Company started marketing it as an oral antiseptic. The product was named for Joseph Lord Lister, F.R.S., O.M. (1827-1912), the English surgeon, who in 1865 revolutionized modern surgery by applying Pasteur's discoveries and performing the first ever antiseptic surgery. Lister objected in vain to the use of his name on the product.

Lister (attested from 1286, an Anglian surname) is contracted from litster, from Middle English liten "to dye, color" (from Old Norse; see lit (n.1)) + fem. agent suffix -ster; hence, "a dyer." Unless it is from lister (late 14c.) "clerk whose duty is to read and expound Scriptures; one who reads books, a reader" (from a variant of French litres).

1590s, in surgery and medicine, "instrument for rendering a part accessible to observation," from Latin speculum "reflector, looking-glass, mirror" (also "a copy, an imitation"), from specere "to look at, view" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). As a type of telescope attachment from 1704.

1640s, "pertaining to beauty, improving beauty," from French cosmétique (16c.), from Latinized form of Greek kosmetikos "skilled in adornment or arrangement," from kosmein "to arrange, adorn," from kosmos "order; ornament" (see cosmos). Related: Cosmetical (1550s). Of surgery, from 1926. Figurative sense of "superficial, affecting the appearance only" is from 1955. Related: Cosmetically.

"act of cutting off," especially in surgery, 1610s, from French recision, alteration of rescision (from Late Latin rescissionem "annulment;" see rescission), influenced in form by Late Latin recisionem (nominative recisio) "a cutting back," noun of action from past-participle stem of recidere "to cut back" (see recidivist).

"act of beheading," late 14c., decollacioun, from Old French decollacion, from Latin decollationem (nominative decollatio) "a beheading," noun of action from past-participle stem of decollare "to behead," from de "off, away" (see de-) + collum "neck" (see collar (n.)). In modern use, in surgery, "removal of the head of the child in cases of difficult birth." Related: Decollate; decollated; decollator.

alkaloid obtained from the leaves of the coca plant, 1874, from Modern Latin cocaine (1856), coined by Albert Niemann of Gottingen University from coca (from Quechua cuca) + chemical suffix -ine (2). A medical coinage, the drug was used 1870s as a local anaesthetic for eye surgery, etc. "It is interesting to note that although cocaine is pronounced as a disyllabic word it is trisyllabic in its formation" [Flood]. Cocainism "addiction to cocaine" is recorded by 1885.

late 14c., "a cutting made in surgery," from Old French incision (13c.) and directly from Latin incisionem (nominative incisio) "a cutting into," recorded only in figurative senses, noun of action from past-participle stem of incīdere "to cut, cut through, cut open," from in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + -cidere, combining form of caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike"). Meaning "act of cutting into" is from early 15c.

1540s, "one who acquires knowledge from actual practice;" a hybrid formed from practitian "practitioner" (c. 1500; see practician), with redundant ending on model of parishioner. Meaning "one engaged in the actual practice of an art or profession" is from 1550s. Johnson has as a secondary sense "One who uses any sly or dangerous arts" (compare practice (n.)). A general practitioner originally was "someone who practices both medicine and surgery."

1620s, "a leading away," from Latin abductionem (nominative abductio) "a forcible carrying off, ravishing, robbing," noun of action from past-participle stem of abducere "to lead away, take away, arrest" (often by force), from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + ducere "to lead" (from PIE root *deuk- "to lead"). As "criminal act of forcibly taking (someone)" by 1768; before that the word also was a term in surgery and logic. In the Mercian hymns, Latin abductione is glossed by Old English wiðlaednisse.