circumcision

 
Pronunciation: /səːkəmˈsɪʒ(ə)n/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] the action or practice of circumcising a young boy or man.
  • (also female circumcision) (among some peoples) the traditional practice of cutting off the clitoris and sometimes the labia of girls or young women.
  • 2 (Circumcision) (in church use) the feast of the Circumcision of Christ, 1 January.

Origin:

Middle English: from late Latin circumcisio(n-), from the verb circumcidere (see circumcise)