noun
scalpel
SKAL-puhl
noun
1
A small, extremely sharp knife used by surgeons for precise cutting.
"The surgeon made a clean incision with the scalpel."
How to Use Scalpel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe precision blade surgeons use for cutting during operations.
Common pairings
wield a scalpel
a surgeon's scalpel
Word Forms
scalpels plural
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Etymology
From Latin scalpellum, a diminutive of scalprum, "knife," from scalpere, "to cut."