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

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 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

“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

Nasal polyps were to be grasped with a sharp tenaculum, cum tenacillis acutis, and either wholly or partially extracted.

From Old-Time Makers of Medicine The Story of The Students And Teachers of the Sciences Related to Medicine During the Middle Ages by Walsh, James Joseph