How to Pronounce Prostatectomy

Say it like this: pros-tah-TEK-toh-mee. Break it into five syllables, and put the strongest stress on the third syllable (TEK). The first syllable sounds like "pros" as in "pros and cons," and the second syllable rhymes with "ta" or "spa."

Many people stress the wrong syllable and say "pro-STAT-uh-kuh-mee" instead of the correct "pros-tah-TEK-toh-mee." Remember: the stress falls on TEK, not STAT. Listening to an audio recording can help you hear the difference.

Prostatectomy is the surgical removal of the prostate gland. If you break down the word, "prostat-" refers to the prostate gland, and "-ectomy" means surgical removal, so together they literally mean "removal of the prostate."

The word comes from two Greek roots: "prostat-" (meaning the gland that stands before the bladder) and "-ectomy" (meaning surgical removal or cutting out). The suffix "-ectomy" appears in many surgical terms, like appendectomy or nephrectomy.

Many surgical removal procedures use "-ectomy." Some examples are appendectomy (removal of the appendix), thyroidectomy (removal of the thyroid gland), and hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). This suffix is very common in medical language.

You might hear someone say: "The surgeon explained the different types of prostatectomy available." Or: "He learned the correct pronunciation of prostatectomy before his medical school exam." The word is used when talking about or discussing the surgical procedure itself.

In medical writing, it is sometimes abbreviated as "RP" (which stands for radical prostatectomy, the most common type), but the full word 'prostatectomy' is generally used in conversation and patient discussions. When reading medical documents, you may see these abbreviations, so it's helpful to know them.

Divide it like this: pros-tate-ec-to-my. Some people say it slightly differently as: pros-ta-tek-to-mee. Both ways divide it into five syllables, with the strongest stress always on the third syllable (tek or ec).