tweezers

Meaning

A small pincerlike instrument, usually made of metal, used for handling or picking up small objects (such as postage stamps), plucking out (plucking) hairs, pulling out slivers, etc.

Synonyms

pincers

forceps

tongs

pliers

nippers

pinchers

pincette

clamp

🗜️

clip

nipper

weary

😩

chopsticks

🥢

Translations

Pinzette

pincet

pinzas

brucelles

pince à épiler

pincette

cımbız

pinces

pinza

Zange

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtwizɚz/

Etymology

17th century (1645–55): plural of tweeser (on the model of nippers, pincers, pliers or scissors), from obsolete tweese (“case for small instruments”) (or alternatively, alteration of plural form tweeses), aphetic form of earlier etweese (plural of etwee), from French étuis, plural of étui (“case, box, cover”) (from Old French estui (“container, prison”, noun), derivative of étuier (earlier spelling, estuier (“to shut up, guard, keep, preserve, save, enclose, place in a cover”), probably from Vulgar Latin *estudiāre (“to keep, treat with care”) or *studiāre, from Latin studēre (“to care about”).