Plural of forceps; multiple surgical or medical instruments designed to grasp, hold, or manipulate objects with precision.
From Latin forceps (from fervere 'to heat' + capere 'to seize'), literally 'heated seizer,' named for the heating and seizing action. The word came into English via medical terminology. Despite its singular form looking like a plural (ending in 's'), it's treated as singular, making 'forcepses' the somewhat awkward plural.
Latin gave us 'forceps,' and English users couldn't decide if it was singular or plural, so we use it both ways. The 'real' plural 'forcipses' exists too, but most people say 'forceps' for both singular and plural, making this one of English's messiest pluralization choices.
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