SCALPEL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does scalpel mean? 

• SCALPEL (noun)
  The noun SCALPEL has 1 sense:

1. a thin straight surgical knife used in dissection and surgery

  Familiarity information: SCALPEL used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SCALPEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A thin straight surgical knife used in dissection and surgery

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("scalpel" is a kind of...):

surgical knife (a very sharp knife used in surgery)

 Context examples 

To treat skin cancer, the doctor uses a scalpel to remove the entire tumor and some of the healthy tissue around it.

(Excisional skin surgery, NCI Dictionary)

A scalpel, a laser knife, or a thin wire loop heated by an electric current may be used to remove the tissue.

(Cone biopsy, NCI Dictionary)

A procedure in which a cone-shaped piece of abnormal tissue is removed from the cervix using a scalpel or laser knife.

(Cold knife cone biopsy, NCI Dictionary)

Surgery using a scalpel.

(Conventional Surgery, NCI Thesaurus)