Small, thin, sharp surgical knives used by doctors and surgeons to make precise cuts during medical procedures; extremely sharp instruments for delicate work.
From French 'scalpel,' derived from Latin 'scalpellum,' a diminutive of 'scalprum' (a cutting tool). The root 'scalp-' means to cut or scrape, related to 'scalp' (the skin of the head) and 'sculpture.'
Modern surgical scalpels are so sharp they cut at the cellular level without damaging surrounding tissue—they're made of stainless steel that's sharpened with lasers, and they're so precise that surgeons now do operations through tiny holes using cameras instead of making large cuts.
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