forceps

[ fawr-suhps, -seps ]

/ ˈfɔr səps, -sɛps /

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noun, plural for·ceps, for·ci·pes

[fawr-suh-peez]. /ˈfɔr səˌpiz/.

an instrument, as pincers or tongs, for seizing and holding objects, as in surgical operations.

Anatomy, Zoology. a part or feature resembling a forceps, especially a pair of appendages at the posterior of certain insects.

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Origin of forceps

1625–35; <Latin: pair of tongs, pincers, said to be a contraction of *formiceps, equivalent to form(us) warm + -i--i- + -ceps -taker, derivative of capere to take (cf. prince), i.e., that which takes hot things; compare, however, forpex, forfex tongs, shears, from which forceps may have been formed by folk etymology

OTHER WORDS FROM forceps

for·ceps·like, adjectivefor·cip·i·al

[fawr-sip-ee-uhl], /fɔrˈsɪp i əl/, adjective

Words nearby forceps

force-march, forcemeat, force of habit, force-out, force play, forceps, force pump, forcer, force-ripe, for certain, Forces

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use forceps in a sentence

Alongside the cards, this kit includes forceps, a Petri dish, dropper, tesh tube, blank slides, prepared slides, lens paper, and more.
The best microscopes for kids of 2022|Carsen Joenk|May 21, 2022|Popular-Science
Her death came around nine years after she accidentally jabbed herself in the thumb with forceps used to handle frozen slices of humanized mouse brains infected with prions.
Second lab worker with deadly prion disease prompts research pause in France|Beth Mole|July 29, 2021|Ars Technica
For forceps Orme had a pair of bullet molds, and these he cleansed as best he could by dipping them into the hot water.
The Way of a Man|Emerson Hough
If they can be seen they should be removed with the forceps designed for that purpose.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine|James J. Walsh

The dissecting knife, the forceps, and the microscope can render us no aid here.
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV|Various
The obstetric forceps were for so long a time kept secret that they were of small benefit at first to the obstetric art.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
Valentine, with a hitch of his eyebrows and shoulders, drops the forceps with a clink into the glass of hot water.
You Never Can Tell|George Bernard Shaw

British Dictionary definitions for forceps

forceps

/ (ˈfɔːsɪps) /

noun plural -ceps or -cipes (-sɪˌpiːz)

a surgical instrument in the form of a pair of pincers, used esp in the delivery of babies
(as modifier)a forceps baby

any pincer-like instrument

any part or structure of an organism shaped like a forceps

Derived forms of forceps

forceps-like, adjective

Word Origin for forceps

C17: from Latin, from formus hot + capere to seize

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

forceps

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Origin of forceps

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British Dictionary definitions for forceps

Derived forms of forceps

Word Origin for forceps