Where does “tweezers” come from?

Tweezers comes from English tweeze, derived from the plural form etweese, which was borrowed from French étuis, the plural of étui meaning a small ornamental case.

tweezers (English): A small pincerlike instrument, usually made of...

Definitions

  1. A small pincerlike instrument, usually made of...

Ancestry of “tweezers”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtweeseA surgeon's case of instruments
2Englishetweese—
3Frenchétuisplural of étui
4Frenchétuicase; holster; cover
5Middle Frenchétui—
6Old Frenchestuicontainer, prison; case, sheath

Words derived from “tweezers”

Every word from Old French estui →Every word from Middle French étui →Every word from French étui →