scalpel
n. countablen. a very small, sharp knife used by doctors to make precise cuts during surgery.
n. a small, sharp surgical knife used for making precise incisions. Often used in the context of medical procedures or metaphorical descriptions of precision.
The surgeon used a scalpel to open the patient's skin.
During the delicate operation, the surgeon preferred using a scalpel to ensure the smallest possible incision for the patient's recovery.
The surgeon's steady hand allowed for a precise incision with the scalpel, minimizing tissue damage and reducing the risk of post-operative complications.
Borrowed from Latin scalpellum, from scalprum (“knife”), from scalpere (“to cut”). Doublet of scalpellum.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 28, 2026