Definition of "mastectomy" []

• Surgical removal of all or part of a breast, sometimes including excision of the underlying pectoral muscles and regional lymph nodes, usually performed as a treatment for cancer. (noun)

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.

• "A mastectomy is when a woman’s breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue."
• "In 500 BC, in her own court, Atossa self-prescribes the most primitive form of a mastectomy, which is performed by her Greek slave."
• "She had to have a mastectomy, which is not trivial surgery; it's not open-heart surgery, but it does require a large incision to be made, which is always dangerous."