tenaculum

American  

[tuh-nak-yuh-luhm] / təˈnæk yə ləm /

noun

tenacula plural

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• tenacula
  plural

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

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 • Oct. 16, 2025

The discovery of teeth on the tenaculum has reopened that debate, prompting researchers to ask how widespread such features might be and what they reveal about the history of vertebrate dentition.

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 case the end of the bleeding artery has retracted, a sharp-pointed hook, called a tenaculum, is used to draw it out far enough to tie.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry