lancet

L1A1N1C3E1T1
UK/ˈlɑːn.sɪt/Canada, Northern England, US/ˈlæn.sɪt/

noun

A sharp, pointed, two-edged surgical instrument used in venesection and for opening abscesses etc.

Meanings

lancet1

nounlancet (plural lancets)

plural lancets · alternative launcet

  1. A sharp, pointed, two-edged surgical instrument used in venesection and for opening abscesses etc.

    With a lancet, Håkan drained the slow blue blood from his leg, always fearing to find pus.

    2017, Hernan Diaz, In the Distance, Daunt Books (2018), page 248
  2. A small, sterile single-use needle used to draw a drop of blood for testing, as with a glucometer.
  3. engineeringAn iron bar used for tapping a melting furnace.
  4. architectureA high narrow window, terminating in an acutely pointed arch, common in Gothic architecture.

    He looked away, into the cavernous space emptying of people. Up in the galleries and behind the choir, the wide window lancets were sheets of black.

    2014, Richard Powers, Orfeo, W. W. Norton & Company, page 234
verblancet (third-person singular simple present lancets, present participle lanceting, simple past and past participle lanceted)

present singular third person lancets · participle present lanceting · participle past lanceted · past lanceted · alternative launcet

  1. To pierce with a lancet.

Lancet2

proper nounLancet (plural Lancets)

plural Lancets

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan acutely pointed Gothic arch, like a lance

nouna surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade; used for punctures and small incisions

Similar
Broader
surgical knife

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchlancete
  2. Middle Englishlauncet
  3. Englishlancet

From Middle English launcet, from Old French lancete, a diminutive of lance. By surface analysis, lance + -et.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مِفْصَد, فَاصِد
  • مِفْصَد (mifṣad)surgical instrument
  • فَاصِد (fāṣid)surgical instrument
Bulgarian ланцет
  • ланцет (lancet)surgical instrument
Catalan llanceta
  • llancetasurgical instrument
Czech skalpel
  • skalpelsurgical instrument
Dutch lancet
  • lancetsurgical instrument
Esperanto lanceto
  • lancetosurgical instrument
Finnish lansetti
  • lansettisurgical instrument
French lancette
  • lancettesurgical instrument
German Lanzette
  • Lanzettesurgical instrument
Greek αμφίστομο νυστέρι, νυστέρι
  • αμφίστομο νυστέρι (amfístomo nystéri)surgical instrument
  • νυστέρι (nystéri)surgical instrument
Indonesian lanset
  • lansetsurgical instrument
Italian lancetta, bisturi
  • lancettasurgical instrument
  • bisturisurgical instrument
Japanese メス
  • メス (mesu)surgical instrument
Persian نشتر, نیشتر
  • نشتر (neštar)surgical instrument
  • نیشتر (ništar)surgical instrument
Polish lancet, skalpel
  • lancetsurgical instrument
  • skalpelsurgical instrument
Portuguese lanceta
  • lancetasurgical instrument
Russian ланце́т
  • ланце́т (lancét)surgical instrument
Spanish lanceta
  • lancetasurgical instrument
Swedish lansett
  • lansettsurgical instrument
Turkish neşter
  • neştersurgical instrument
Ukrainian ланцет
  • ланцет (lancet)surgical instrument

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

lancet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lancet

MLA

“lancet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lancet. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lancet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lancet.

Source: lancet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.