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Glite Dictionary
surgical knife

surgical knife

3.8
A very sharp knife a doctor uses in an operation to cut parts of the body
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrʤɪkəl naɪf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bisturí
  • During the operation, the surgeon made precise incisions with a surgical knife to remove the tumor.

Examples

  • For her procedure, the doctor carefully selected a sharp surgical knife to ensure minimal tissue damage.

  • The medical waste is transported to the Bio-Oxidizer by means of an automatic feeding system that reduces waste handling and thus the incidence of injury due to cuts from infected needles and surgical knives.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The surgical knife is essential for performing delicate procedures in the operating room.

Synonyms

scalpel
vssurgical knife
  • Specialized
71 4.2

A small, very sharp knife surgeons use to cut in operations

is a more general very sharp blade used in surgical procedures
surgical instrument
vssurgical knife
  • Specialized
3 3.8

A tool a surgeon uses during an operation to cut, hold, or move body tissue

is a specific very sharp cutting blade not a general surgical tool
catling
vssurgical knife
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A long two-edged knife used by surgeons to cut off a limb

is a modern very sharp cutting blade for general surgical procedures

How Sharp

surgical knife
  • Specialized
3.8
butter knife
7 1.0

Surface Forms

surgical knife singular
surgical knives plural

Morphology

surgical + knife

The meaning is a straightforward composition of 'surgical' (relating to surgery) modifying 'knife' (a cutting implement), so the overall sense is directly derivable from the constituents. This adjectival-noun compound is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.

Etymology

The noun surgical knife comes from the simple picture of a surgeon using a very sharp knife in surgical work to make careful cuts during an operation. That's why it means 'a very sharp knife used in surgery'.