forceps

forceps

1. 

a. a surgical instrument in the form of a pair of pincers, used esp in the delivery of babies

b. (as modifier): a forceps baby

2. any part or structure of an organism shaped like a forceps

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

forceps

[′fȯr·səps]

(design engineering)

A pincerlike instrument for grasping objects.

(invertebrate zoology)

A pair of curved, hard, movable appendages at the end of the abdomen of certain insects, for example, the earwig.

(medicine)

A device with two blades or limbs opposite each other which is operated by handles or by direct force on the blades; used in surgery to grasp, compress, and hold tissue, a body part, or surgical substances.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Forceps

 

a medical instrument for seizing and holding tissues and such objects as bandages; they consist of two blades joined by a spring-loaded hinge. Forceps are classified according to their use and according to the shape of their tips; for example, dressing forceps, anatomical forceps, and alligator forceps are distinguished.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.