lancet
Americannoun
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a small surgical instrument, usually sharp-pointed and two-edged, for making small incisions, opening abscesses, etc.
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Architecture.
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a lancet arch.
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noun
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Also called: lance. a pointed surgical knife with two sharp edges
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short for lancet arch lancet window
Etymology
Origin of lancet
1375–1425; late Middle English lancette < Middle French. See lance 1, -et
Explanation
The noun lancet describes a small, double-edged surgical knife used to make incisions. A lancer is a soldier bearing a long spear, called a lance, while a lancet is like a tiny spear — sharp on two sides and meant to pierce things. And though a soldier could wield a lancet, it's more likely to be used by a surgeon. A lancet arch is an architectural term used to describe an arch that peaks at the top. Most buildings with lancet arches are not places where you’d use a lancet, though.
Vocabulary lists containing lancet
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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Fever 1793
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A disposable lancet must pierce the skin, before drops of blood can be sucked into a pipette, mixed with a chemical and placed in the test cassette.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025
That's the reality for ants infected with the lancet liver fluke, a tiny parasitic flatworm.
From Science Daily • Sep. 17, 2023
Volunteers used a lancet to prick their fingertip and squeeze out droplets of blood that they deposited into sampling devices.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2021
The rock sits on the south side of the nave at the heart of a stained glass design covering three lancet windows, depicting a vast cosmos of colorful swirls and dark celestial globes.
From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2019
Dr. Kerr took a small lancet from his bag.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
