secateurs

American  

[sek-uh-ter, -tur] / ˈsɛk ə tər, -ˌtɜr /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. scissors or shears, especially pruning shears.

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secateurs British  

/ ˈsɛkətəz, ˌsɛkəˈtɜːz /

plural noun

1. a small pair of shears for pruning, having a pair of pivoted handles, sprung so that they are normally open, and usually a single cutting blade that closes against a flat surface

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Etymology

Origin of secateurs

1880–85; < French < Latin sec ( āre ) to cut ( see secant) + French -ateurs (plural) < Latin -ātor -ator

Example Sentences

If Serena wanted to commune with nature, she thought, she might as well take the secateurs with her and achieve something.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 21, 2019

Favorite tool: Corona classic hand pruners, which Huston calls by their British name: secateurs.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2019

Benzakein’s popularity, and the growing obsession with picking up the spade or the secateurs, taps into what Ryhanen sees as a deep longing for a connection to the natural world.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2017

The morning of the abduction, Mrs. Allsop—dishevelled in a limp linen shirtdress—was wielding her secateurs up a ladder, pruning the climbing roses.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 2, 2012

Some prefer secateurs, and while admitting their value for pruning purposes, a good sharp knife is preferable; it is not so heavy, and does not tire the hand.

From Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens by Cook, Ernest Thomas