Etymology

pincers

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Today it means: A gripping tool, pivoted like a pair of scissors, but with blunt jaws. Full definition →

Middle English pynsours ← Old French pinceure
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The story

  1. Old French · derived frompinceure
  2. Middle English · inherited frompynsours
  3. English todaypincers

From Middle English pynsours, from Old French pinceure, pinchure, from pincier (“to pinch”).

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchpinceure all →

pincer

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.