biopsy

Etymology

From French biopsie, from Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”) + ὤψ (ṓps, “eye”).

noun

1. The removal and examination of a sample of tissue, cells, or bodily fluid from a living body for diagnostic purposes.
   We will need to perform a biopsy to determine whether the tumour is malignant or benign.
   All the while he was talking, he took lots of biopsies, small samples of tissue to be examined by pathologists using a microscope. 2021, Dr Philippa Kaye, Doctors Get Cancer Too, Vie Books, page 22

verb

1. To take a sample (a biopsy) for pathological examination.
   They biopsied the lump but it turned out to be non-cancerous.