Definition of "biopsy" []

• The removal and examination of a sample of tissue from a living body for diagnostic purposes. (noun)
• A sample so obtained. (noun)
• To remove (tissue) from a living body for diagnostic purposes. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In such a case a biopsy is almost routinely recommended."
• "A liver biopsy is a procedure in which small pieces of liver tissue are extracted and sent to a laboratory for evaluation."
• "Usually the biopsy is performed by inserting a needle through the skin into the liver; this can sometimes result in bleeding from the liver into the abdomen."