Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who breaks stones.
- noun An instrument used for crushing stones in the bladder, particularly for crushing stones too large for extraction in the course of a lithotomy, the instrument being introduced through the wound.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Surg.) An instrument for crushing stones in the bladder.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
surgical instrument forcrushing stones in thebladder .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A party of horsemen, belonging to the caravan in which he had travelled from Egypt, were ready at the gates of the mosque to assist the lithoclast, as soon as he should have executed his task; but they were not able to protect him from the fury of the populace.
Travels in Arabia 2003
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A party of horsemen, belonging to the caravan in which he had travelled from Egypt, were ready at the gates of the mosque to assist the lithoclast, as soon as he should have executed his task; but they were not able to protect him from the fury of the populace.
Travels in Arabia; comprehending an account of those territories in Hedjaz which the Mohammedans regard as sacred John Lewis Burckhardt 1800
blafferty commented on the word lithoclast
Does anyone know if CD 1 is actually used, or is this just used for "stones" within the body?
May 13, 2011
mollusque commented on the word lithoclast
The single example that Wordnik gives seems to be the only bonafide usage. It comes from Travels in Arabia by Burckhardt (1829). It was picked up by Davies (1881) in A Supplementary English Glossary. A review of the glossary used lithoclast to illustrate the importance of vocabulary: "If he could only frame his lips to call a stone-breaker a lithoclast (for which Mr. Davies furnishes him with good authority), we do not doubt for an instant that he would very shortly be raised by a unanimous vote of the villagers to the distinguished office of surveyor of the highways."
May 13, 2011
blafferty commented on the word lithoclast
Thanks, mollusque!
May 13, 2011