What does the medical terminology combining form -rrhaphy mean?

Answer 1

Surgical closure; suture
-raph-, -rhap- from Gr. rhaphe, means "suture, seam" and word ending -rraphy means "surgical suturing of a specified part". [rhapsody, lit. odes or songs stitched together, fig. Mus. an improvisational composition irregular in form, angiorrhaphy, lit. vessel surgical suturing, cheilorrhaphy, lit. lip surgical suturing, ileorrhaphy, lit. ileum surgical suturing, raphe, lit. seam]

Mnemonic for remembering the word part -raph-, -rhaph-:

You've sutured your canvas painting of Raphael's (-raphe-, nr.) famous angels back together. You wish those angels would quite fighting with each other.