Meanings
nounsawbones (plural sawbones or sawboneses)
plural sawboneses
- slangA surgeon.
"That is wicked, or rather, villainous: Queen Madásima was a very distinguished lady, and it should not be assumed that so high a princess would become the paramour of a sawbones or a quack, and whoever believes the contrary is lying, like the base scoundrel he is.
Part 1 published in 1605, Part 2 in 1615, translated in 2003, Miguel de Cervantes and translated by Edith Grossman, Don Quixote, page 189
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian касапин
- касапин (kasapin)surgeon (slang)
Finnish puukkotohtori
- puukkotohtorisurgeon (slang)
German Knochensäger
- Knochensägersurgeon (slang)
Italian segaossa
- segaossasurgeon (slang)
Russian костопра́в
- костопра́в (kostopráv)surgeon (slang)
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
sawbones. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sawbones
MLA
“sawbones.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sawbones. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sawbones,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sawbones.
Source: sawbones on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.