scalpel
Americannoun
-
scalpels
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of scalpel
1735–45; < Latin scalpellum, diminutive of scalprum tool for scraping or paring (derivative of scalpere to scratch); for formation see castellum
Explanation
A scalpel is a special kind of knife used by doctors, particularly surgeons. Scalpels are small, lightweight, and have a fine, sharp blade. Most scalpels used in surgery have extremely sharp, removable blades that can be replaced. When a surgeon uses a scalpel, she holds it using either the "dinner knife" grip, for large incisions, or the "pencil" grip, for smaller cuts. A medical student dissecting an animal also uses a scalpel, and in some cases artists use them for making fine cuts. In Latin, a scalpellum is a "surgical knife," from scalpere, "to carve."
Vocabulary lists containing scalpel
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Salt to the Sea
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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.
See Examples For:
McMorris said access to public records is a “moral issue,” and fixing any problems with the current law requires “a scalpel, not a meat ax.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
With AI, hyperscale customers who know exactly what they want can use Tan’s ASICs as a scalpel, rather than turn to the Swiss Army knife of Nvidia’s general-purpose chips.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
“It’s because governments usually resort to blunt instruments, opting for the bludgeon of sweeping tariffs and subsidies over the scalpel of industrial parks and skills development programs.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
A surgeon's scalpel to both knee and hamstring.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2025
Only then did she pick up the pieces of Henrietta’s cervix— forceps in one hand, scalpel in the other—and carefully slice them into one-millimeter squares.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
On any given day, suitcases contain supplies that would accommodate a hospital operating room, including scalpels, needles and IV bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Excess fluid pressure buildup in the eye is a risk factor; it’s treated with medication, or lasers or scalpels that eventually relieve the pressure.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 18, 2024
That would cover not just medication but any item used in a surgical abortion, such as gloves or scalpels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Spending 148 days off the air blunted the scalpels of some more than others.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2023
They don't realize that floating in the air on dust particles, lurking on fingertips, or growing on the shiny steel blades of their unwashed surgical scalpels are single-celled bacteria and other microscopic life forms.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
