forceps

See also: fórceps

English

A traditional forceps and other tools

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

Borrowed from Latin forceps.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːsɛps/, /ˈfɔːsəps/
• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹsɛps/

Noun

forceps (plural forceps or forcipes or forcepses)

1. An instrument used in surgery or medical procedures for grasping and holding objects, similar to tongs or pincers.

Usage notes

Although the Latin word is singular, this word is often treated as a plurale tantum by analogy with names for similar items such as tongs and tweezers: this forceps or these forceps (or even pair of forceps).

Hyponyms

• serrefine

Derived terms

• forceps delivery
• microforceps

Translations

instrument used in surgery

• Bulgarian: щипци (bg) pl (štipci)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鑷子／镊子 (zh) (nièzi), 镊子 (zh) (nièzi), 鉗子／钳子 (zh) (qiánzi), 钳子 (zh) (qiánzi), 產鉗／产钳 (zh) (chǎnqián), 产钳 (zh) (chǎnqián) (obstetric)

• Dutch: pincet (nl)
• Estonian: sünnitustangid
• Finnish: pihdit (fi) pl, atulat (fi) pl
• French: forceps (fr) m; (in dentistry) davier (fr) m
• German: Zange (de) f, Pinzette (de) f
• Greek: λαβίδα (el) f (lavída)

  Ancient: πυράγρα f (purágra)

• Hindi: चिमटा (hi) m (cimṭā)
• Inuktitut: ᑭᒍᑕᐃᖅᓯᔾᔭᑎᑦ (kicotaiqsiyyatit)
• Italian: forcipe m
• Japanese: 鉗子 (ja) (かんし, kanshi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kannada: ಚಿಮುಟಾಂಗ (kn) (cimuṭāṅga)
• Korean: 집게 (ko) (jibge)
• Latin: forceps f
• Malay: forsep
• Malayalam: ചവണ (ml) (cavaṇa)
• Portuguese: fórceps (pt) m
• Russian: (хирурги́ческие) щипцы́ (ru) m pl (ščipcý), пинце́т (ru) m (pincét), зажи́м (ru) m (zažím)
• Spanish: fórceps m
• Tagalog: panipit
• Tamil: சாவணம் (ta) (cāvaṇam)
• Telugu: పటకారు (te) (paṭakāru)
• Ukrainian: акушерські щипці (akušersʹki ščypci)

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Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *formokaps through syncope. Surface etymology: from formus (“warm”) +‎ -ceps (“taker”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfor.keps/, [ˈfɔrkɛps̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfor.t͡ʃeps/, [ˈfɔrt͡ʃeps]

Noun

forceps m (genitive forcipis); third declension

1. (pair of) tongs, pincers, forceps

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	forceps	forcipēs
Genitive	forcipis	forcipum
Dative	forcipī	forcipibus
Accusative	forcipem	forcipēs
Ablative	forcipe	forcipibus
Vocative	forceps	forcipēs

Related terms

• forcipatus

References

• “forceps”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “forceps”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• forceps in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• forceps in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “forceps”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “forceps”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin