noun
forceps
FOR-seps/ˈfɔːrseps/
A two-bladed gripping instrument used in medicine or laboratory work.
The medical forceps rest beside sterile gauze, their narrow gripping tips exposed.
Etymology
Apparently combining “hot” with “take,” the Latin word named a smith’s tool for grasping hot things. The medical instrument retains the gripping function of those tongs.
In context
Must your idea be extracted with the forceps? Very fine, master, this is it.
More examples
- She lifts the specimen from the jar with forceps.
- The nurse removes a splinter with a pair of forceps.
- The doctor uses forceps to help deliver the baby.
Forms
forceps · forcipes
Similar words
- tweezers
- Usually small springy tools for picking up tiny objects.
- pincers
- Typically hinged tools with curved jaws for gripping or pulling.