pincer
pincer Lexical Profile
pincer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A front claw or prehensile appendage of certain arthropods, such as a lobster, crab, or scorpion, consisting of two hinged jaws used for grasping or defense.
"The hermit crab raised its larger pincer to block the entrance of its shell."
A pivoted metal hand tool having two handles and a pair of curved, blunt jaws used for gripping objects or extracting nails (usually used in the plural).
"The carpenter used a pair of heavy iron pincers to pull the bent nails out of the floorboards."
A coordinated tactical maneuver in which two separate forces converge simultaneously on both flanks of an opposing target to encircle it.
"Historians studied how the commanders executed a classic pincer across the valley."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the metal gripping tool, the word is almost exclusively used in the plural form ('pincers'), whereas the biological claw of an arthropod may be referred to in either the singular or the plural.
• Rhymes for pincer
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-Norman pincer, a plural noun formed from Old French pincier ('to pinch').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.