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

How to use forceps in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for forceps

forceps
/ (ˈfɔːsɪps) /

noun plural -ceps or -cipes (-sɪˌpiːz)
  1. a surgical instrument in the form of a pair of pincers, used esp in the delivery of babies
  2. (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
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