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.

---

tenaculum British  

/ tɪˈnækjʊləm /

noun

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

---

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

This unusual lack of denticles led scientists to question what became of them -- and whether the teeth on the tenaculum might represent their evolutionary remnants.

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

Males use the tenaculum both for display and function.

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