A specialized surgical hook or surgical instrument with a sharp, needle-like point used for grasping or manipulating tissues during surgery.
From Latin 'acutus' (sharp, pointed) and 'naculum' (hook), literally 'a sharp hook,' a term from medical Latin created for precise surgical equipment.
This is a wonderfully specific medieval and Renaissance surgical instrument—its name tells you exactly what it does, combining the Latin for 'sharp' with 'hook,' and shows how surgical terminology got incredibly detailed.
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