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tenaculum
[ tuh-nak-yuh-luhm ]
/ təˈnæk yə ləm /
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noun, plural te·nac·u·la [tuh-nak-yuh-luh]. /təˈnæk yə lə/.
Surgery. a small sharp-pointed hook set in a handle, used for seizing and picking up parts in operations and dissections.
Entomology. a clasplike appendage on the abdomen of a springtail, which holds the springing device in place.
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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-cule2
Words nearby tenaculum
tenace, tenacious, tenaciously, tenacity, ten-acre block, tenaculum, Tenafly, tenaille, tenaim, tena koe, tena korua
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tenaculum in a sentence
The patient is in the lithotomy position, the speculum is passed and the cervix pulled down by a tenaculum.
Nasal polyps were to be grasped with a sharp tenaculum, cum tenacillis acutis, and either wholly or partially extracted.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine|James J. WalshSoft polyps should be drawn out with a toothed tenaculum as far as can be without risk of breaking them off.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine|James J. Walsh
British Dictionary definitions for tenaculum
tenaculum
/ (tɪˈnækjʊləm) /
noun plural -la (-lə)
a surgical or dissecting instrument for grasping and holding parts, consisting of a slender hook mounted in a handle
Word Origin for tenaculum
C17: from Late Latin, from Latin tenēre to hold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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