# trepan

> English word · Noun · IPA /tɹɪˈpæn/

## Definitions
1. A tool used to bore through rock when sinking shafts.
2. A surgical instrument used to remove a circular section of bone from the skull; a trephine.

## Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French trepan, from Latin trepanum, from Ancient Greek τρύπανον (trúpanon, “auger, borer”). Doublet of trephine.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/trepan