tenaculum

American  

[tuh-nak-yuh-luhm] / təˈnæk yə ləm /

noun

plural

tenacula

1. Surgery. a small sharp-pointed hook set in a handle, used for seizing and picking up parts in operations and dissections.

2. Entomology. a clasplike appendage on the abdomen of a springtail, which holds the springing device in place.

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tenaculum British  

/ tɪˈnækjʊləm /

noun

1. a surgical or dissecting instrument for grasping and holding parts, consisting of a slender hook mounted in a handle

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Etymology

Origin of tenaculum

1685–95; < Latin tenāculum instrument for gripping, equivalent to ten ( ēre ) to hold + -ā- (from v. stems ending in -ā-; see gubernaculum) + -culum -cule ²

Example Sentences

"The tenaculum is a developmental relic, not a bizarre one-off, and the first clear example of a toothed structure outside the jaw."

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

Tissue samples revealed that the genes associated with teeth across vertebrates were expressed in the tenaculum, but not the denticles.

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

“The parts that hurt for some patients — just placing the speculum is uncomfortable — placing the tenaculum is the first part that's not just pressure that can sometimes feel sharp,” Espey told Salon.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2024

Using a tenaculum, a scissor-like surgical tool, the physician steadies the cervix.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2024

In like manner as is the tenaculum, the silk is attached to one edge of the wound, carried under the limb, and firmly secured to the other.

From Diseases of the Horse's Foot by Reeks, Harry Caulton