forceps
/ˈfɔːsɛps
/ /ˈfɔːsɪps/(also a pair of forceps)
plural noun
1A pair of pincers or tweezers used in surgery or in a laboratory.‘The tools we use in making these pictures are very simple - just a pair of forceps, scissors and some glue,’ Liu said....
- The upper epidermal layer from the inner surface of the tissue was excised carefully using a pair of forceps and placed immediately into de-ionized water.
- Thus, these roots were manually peeled - the peripheral root tissues were carefully picked using a pair of forceps, and then pulled to separate the endodermis covering the stele.
1.1A large pair of forceps with broad gripping parts, used to encircle a baby’s head and assist in birth: [as modifier]: a forceps delivery...
- Yet, the comparative rate of intracranial hemorrhage is not statistically different when vacuum extraction, forceps delivery and cesarean section during labor are compared.
- Assisted vaginal delivery comprised both forceps deliveries and vacuum extraction.
- Here we review the role of forceps delivery in modern obstetric practice.
1.2 Zoology An organ or structure resembling forceps, especially the cerci of an earwig.Several tales exist concerning alleged damage of earwigs: how they like to crawl into ears or how the forceps cause a painful pinch....
- He published papers illustrating discontinuous variation in floral symmetry and in terminal forceps of earwigs and the hornlike processes seen in certain male beetles.
Origin
Late 16th century: from Latin, 'tongs, pincers'.