Apheresis

A`pher´e`sis

n.	1.	(Gram.) The dropping of a letter or syllable from the beginning of a word; e. g., cute for a cute.
	2.	(Surg.) An operation by which any part is separated from the rest.

Noun	1.	apheresis - (linguistics) omission at the beginning of a word as in `coon' for `raccoon' or `till' for `until' Synonyms: aphaeresis
	2.	apheresis - a procedure in which blood is drawn and separated into its components by dialysis; some are retained and the rest are returned to the donor by transfusion Synonyms: pheresis