: a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in surgery
Examples of scalpel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebIt can be done in-office by a licensed aesthetician with a surgical scalpel, or even at home with a proper dermaplaning device.—Audrey Noble, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Aug. 2023 Joshua Jackson, who plays Duntsch, and Christian Slater, who plays the doctor trying to stop Duntsch from ever picking up a scalpel again.—Deanna Janes, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 July 2023 The inspectors disassembled the weapons using screwdrivers, scalpels, wrenches, and a digital camera, searching for anything that might reveal where a circuit board, motor controller, accelerometer, or fuel pump was made.—David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2023 The video, with a team of Black women wielding scalpels, is a gory comeuppance.—Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023 In many scientific disciplines randomized trial methods are fundamentally inappropriate—akin to using a scalpel to mow a lawn.—Matthew Oliver, Scientific American, 5 May 2023 Standard rear-axle steering, which can turn up to 3.6 degrees, adds more precision to the AMG's cornering, but the car still feels more like a speedo-smashing hammer than a delicate lateral-g scalpel.—Andrew Krok, Car and Driver, 5 May 2023 During the Procedure Once the anesthesia has taken effect, the surgeon will use a scalpel to cut and excise the cyst and sinus, including the skin, pores, underlying tissue, and hair follicles surrounding the infection.2 The area will be suctioned to remove pus and cleaned with saline.—Scott Sundick, Verywell Health, 25 June 2023 Teetering on the brink, the rumor mill churning, and the scalpels sharpened for the pending autopsy, the Celtics kept their season and their aspirations alive Tuesday night with a 116-99 victory over the host Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.—Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scalpel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin scalpellus, scalpellum, diminutive of scalper, scalprum chisel, knife, from scalpere to scratch, carve
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