tweezer
tweezer Lexical Profile
tweezer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small instrument consisting of two joined prongs used for plucking hairs or picking up tiny objects (usually used in the plural form 'tweezers', or in the singular in commercial, cosmetic, and attributive contexts).
"The watchmaker used a precision stainless-steel tweezer to position the tiny gear inside the movement."
A scientific instrument that uses a highly focused laser beam or magnetic field to trap and manipulate microscopic particles, cells, or molecules (often in the plural, 'optical tweezers').
"Researchers used an optical tweezer to hold the single strand of DNA steady during the experiment."
• verb
To pluck, extract, or manipulate hairs or small objects using a pair of tweezers.
"She carefully tweezered the tiny wooden splinter out of her thumb."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun, the plural form 'tweezers' (or 'a pair of tweezers') is standard in everyday usage, while the singular 'tweezer' is primarily used attributively (as in 'tweezer grip') or in specialized retail, cosmetic, and scientific contexts (such as 'optical tweezer').
• Rhymes for tweezer
Word Origin & Etymology
Evolved from the obsolete 17th-century noun 'tweezes' (small cases of instruments), an aphetic plural of 'etwee', borrowed from French 'étui' (a small case), with the instrumental suffix '-er' added.