probe
n. countablen. a thin tool that doctors use to look inside a wound or a part of the body. It can also mean a deep and careful investigation into a secret or a problem.
n. a slender surgical instrument used for exploring a cavity, wound, or canal. In a figurative sense, it refers to a thorough and searching investigation into a matter.
The surgeon used a metal probe to examine the injury.
The medical team used a sterile probe to determine the depth of the wound before starting the procedure.
Following the surgical error, the hospital board launched a formal probe to identify whether the failure was systemic or the result of individual negligence.
For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (“to test, examine, prove”), from probus (“good”). Doublet of prove. For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from probare (“to test, examine, prove”); Doublet of proof. Compare Spanish tienta (“a surgeon's probe”), from tentar (“try, test”); see tempt.
Commonly used with 'into' when referring to an investigation ('a probe into the incident').