Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pincers” come from?

Pincers comes from Middle English pincen, from Old French pincier meaning "to pinch," ultimately from a Vulgar Latin root related to the sense of gripping or squeezing.

pincers (English): plural of pincer; API pl; A gripping tool,...

Definitions

  1. plural of pincer; API pl; A gripping tool,...

Ancestry of “pincers”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpincerAny object that resembles one half of a pair of...
Every word from English pincer →