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tweez·ers

(twēzərz)

pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

Small pincers, usually of metal, used for plucking or handling small objects.

[From obsolete tweezes, pl. of tweeze, a case for tweezers or other small instruments, alteration of etweese, from French étuis, pl. of étui; see éTUI.]

(click for a larger image)

tweezers

left: cross-locking jeweler's tweezers

right: slanted-tip eyebrow tweezers

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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