Cautery /(?)/

Cau·ter·y

Cautery

n.

pl. Cauteries

  1. A burning or searing, as of morbid flesh, with a hot iron, or by application of a caustic that will burn, corrode, or destroy animal tissue. (Med.)
  2. The iron of other agent in cauterizing.

Phrases & Compounds
Actual cautery
a substance or agent (as a hot iron) which cauterizes or sears by actual heat; or the burning so effected.
Potential cautery
a substance which cauterizes by chemical action; as, lunar caustic; also, the cauterizing produced by such substance.