VIVISECTION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does vivisection mean? 

• VIVISECTION (noun)
  The noun VIVISECTION has 1 sense:

1. the act of operating on living animals (especially in scientific research)

  Familiarity information: VIVISECTION used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VIVISECTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of operating on living animals (especially in scientific research)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("vivisection" is a kind of...):

operation; surgery; surgical operation; surgical procedure; surgical process (a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body)

Derivation:

vivisect (cut (a body) open while still alive)

vivisectionist (a biologist who cuts open live animals for research)

 Context examples 

Daily the vivisection of Beauty went on.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Men sneered at vivisection, and yet look at its results to-day!

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)