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-; gubernaculum ) + -culum -cule ²

Example Sentences

To test these theories, the researchers caught and analyzed hundreds of fish, using micro-CT scans and tissue samples to document tenaculum development.

From Science Daily

Identifying this structure was compelling evidence that the teeth on the tenaculum really are teeth and not leftover denticles.

From Science Daily

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

From Science Daily

In the fossil record, they also observed evidence of teeth on the tenaculum of related species.

From Science Daily

These teeth line a cartilage-based structure known as the tenaculum, a forehead appendage that loosely resembles Squidward's nose.

From Science Daily