Definition of tenaculum

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tenancy >

te·nac·u·lum    (t-nky-lm) KEY 

NOUN:
pl. te·nac·u·la  (-l) KEY 

A long-handled, slender, hooked instrument for lifting and holding parts, such as blood vessels, during surgery.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Late Latin tenculum, holder, from Latin tenre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots