scalpel

noun

scal·​pel ˈskal-pəl How to pronounce scalpel (audio)
also
skal-ˈpel How to pronounce scalpel (audio)
: a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in surgery

Examples of scalpel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Zachary Basu, Marc Caputo Feb 3, 2025 - Politics & Policy Musk's wrecking ball pierces government's inner sanctum Elon Musk and his cost-slashing allies are taking a hammer to the massive bureaucracy that staffs the U.S. government — and a scalpel to any senior officials who dare put up a fight. Sam Sabin, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025 There are close-ups of scalpels cutting into skin and glimpses of the human body in various states of mangled and bloody distress. Nina Metz, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025 Tilbrook spoke the Queen’s English with scalpel precision and embodied an inheritance of cultural knowledge dating back 45,000 years or more. Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024 Instead of cutting into the human body with a scalpel, the nanorobots can move through veins and arteries, to do things like handle aneurysms or occlusions, for instance, or prevent cardiac events. John Werner, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for scalpel 

Word History

Etymology

Latin scalpellus, scalpellum, diminutive of scalper, scalprum chisel, knife, from scalpere to scratch, carve

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scalpel was in 1742

Dictionary Entries Near scalpel

Cite this Entry

“Scalpel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scalpel. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

scalpel

noun
scal·​pel ˈskal-pəl How to pronounce scalpel (audio)
 also  skal-ˈpel
: a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in surgery

Medical Definition

scalpel

noun
scal·​pel
ˈskal-pəl also skal-ˈpel
: a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in surgery

More from Merriam-Webster on scalpel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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