A small instrument with two narrow prongs used to pick up or pull out small objects, commonly used for plucking hair or splinters.
From French 'tweeze' or 'tweezes,' short for 'etui à tweezers' (case of tweezers). The tool's name comes from the Old French 'étuis' (small ornamental cases), as they were originally sold in fancy cases.
Tweezers were originally luxury items sold in fancy ornamental cases as status symbols in 17th-century France—now they're in every bathroom, and the word stuck even though they're no longer fancy enough to require special cases!
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