n.
Surgical excision of dead, devitalized, or contaminated tissue and removal of foreign matter from a wound.
[French débridement, from débrider, to unbridle, debride (from the likening of constricting bands of tissue to bridles), from Old French desbrider : des-, de- + bride, bridle (probably from Middle High German brīdel, rein).]
debride de·bride' v.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
