How to Pronounce Mastectomy

Say it like this: mas-TEK-toh-mee. Break it into four syllables, and put the stress on the second syllable (TEK), so it sounds like you're saying "mas-TEK-tuh-mee." The first part rhymes with "mass" and the last part sounds like "tuh-mee."

Many people accidentally stress the first syllable and say "MAS-tek-toh-mee," but that's incorrect. Remember: the emphasis goes on the second syllable, so it's mas-TEK-toh-mee, not MAS-tek-toh-mee.

The word comes from two Greek roots: 'masto-' (meaning breast) and '-tomy' (meaning to cut or remove). So literally, mastectomy means "cutting or removing the breast." Understanding these two parts makes the word easier to remember and pronounce.

Yes! Words like appendectomy, hysterectomy, and vasectomy all use '-tomy' to mean surgical removal or cutting. Once you know that '-tomy' means "to cut," you can recognize and understand other medical surgery words more easily.

Doctors sometimes shorten it to just 'mastectomy' in writing, but there isn't a commonly used abbreviation like there is for some other procedures. You might see it written out in full in medical documents.

You might say: "My aunt had a mastectomy last year," or "The surgeon explained the different types of mastectomy to the patient." It's used as a noun to refer to the surgical procedure itself.

Yes, in plain English, mastectomy means breast removal or breast surgery. It's the medical term doctors use instead of saying "breast removal surgery" in longer, everyday language.

Mastectomy has four syllables: mas-tek-toh-mee. The second syllable (tek) is the stressed one, which is why you hear the emphasis there when you say the word correctly.