forceps Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an extractor consisting of a pair of pincers used in medical treatment (especially for the delivery of babies)

WordNet

For"ceps noun
Etymology
L. forceps, -cipis, from the root of formus Hot + capere to take; akin to E. heave. Cf. Furnace.
Definitions
  1. A pair of pinchers, or tongs; an instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon, bodies which it would be inconvenient or impracticable to seize with the fingers, especially one for delicate operations, as those of watchmakers, surgeons, accoucheurs, dentists, etc.
  2. (Zoöl.) The caudal forceps-shaped appendage of earwigs and some other insects. See Earwig.

Webster 1913