Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An instrument resembling a pair of pincers or tongs, used for grasping, manipulating, or extracting, especially such an instrument used by a surgeon.
  • noun A pincerlike pair of movable appendages at the posterior end of the abdomen in certain insects, such as earwigs.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An instrument, such as pincers or tongs, used for seizing, holding, or moving objects which it would be impracticable to manipulate with the fingers.
  • noun In zoology and anatomy, some part or process of the body like a forceps; any forcipate organ.
  • noun See the qualifying words.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A pair of pinchers, or tongs; an instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon, bodies which it would be inconvenient or impracticable to seize with the fingers, especially one for delicate operations, as those of watchmakers, surgeons, accoucheurs, dentists, etc.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The caudal forceps-shaped appendage of earwigs and some other insects. See Earwig.
  • noun See under Dressing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An instrument used in surgery or medical procedures for grasping and holding objects, similar to tongs or pincers. (With singular or plural concord.)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an extractor consisting of a pair of pincers used in medical treatment (especially for the delivery of babies)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin, fire tongs, pincers; see gwher- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • -- Expansile forceps for the endoscopic removal of hollow foreign bodies such as intubation tubes, tracheal cannulae, caps, and cartridge shells.] _Screw forceps_.

    Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery Chevalier Jackson 1911

  • That Australian lilt to a sentence is annoying as well and the word subjective should be removed with forceps from the minds of stupid people (except me) 1: 06 PM hatfield girl said ...

    Progress At Last Newmania 2008

  • Some persons use the word forceps for tweezers, but in this book, forceps are instruments for taking out a tooth.

    Chapter 8 1983

  • It is not questioned that the forceps was the secret that his ancestors and he himself employed so long and so profitably.

    The Prospective Mother, a Handbook for Women During Pregnancy 1912

  • As the first grasp of the forceps is the best, it should be well planned beforehand so as to seize the proper part of the intruder.

    Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery Chevalier Jackson 1911

  • The webs may be broken by the insertion of a closed alligator forceps, which is then withdrawn with opened blades.

    Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery Chevalier Jackson 1911

  • The operation is carried out under local anaesthetic using the most cost-effective technique, known as the forceps method, at a cost of $40 (£26) for each patient.

    BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition 2010

  • Especially if doctors use mechanical interventions, such as forceps, vacuum extraction or episiotomy, vaginal delivery can increase the risk of lasting problems like gas and urinary incontinence.

    The Right To Choose 2008

  • The most intriguing new forms of play for the Wii include titles like Trauma Center , a game ported from the Nintendo DS in which you perform surgery -- including, in a lovely use of the Wii's remote, a "forceps" that you wield by squeezing the top button and trigger at the same time.

    What Will Wii Controller Unlock? 2006

  • The most intriguing new forms of play for the Wii include titles like Trauma Center , a game ported from the Nintendo DS in which you perform surgery -- including, in a lovely use of the Wii's remote, a "forceps" that you wield by squeezing the top button and trigger at the same time.

    What Will Wii Controller Unlock? 2006

Comments

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  • Biceps forward forceps back.

    June 30, 2022