pincer

/ˈpɪnsər/

/ˈpɪnsə/

Other forms: pincers

A pincer is the claw-like appendage on an insect or crustacean that allows it to grab things, particularly food. Your crab will never be a cuddly pet, because of those pincers you have to watch out for. Ouch!

If someone catches lobsters for a living, she'll have to be very careful of all of those pincers — in fact, when you buy live lobsters, their pincers are usually restrained with rubber bands. The danger with pincers is that they'll pinch, and these words share a root, the Old French pincier, "to pinch." There's also a tool called pincers that's modeled on animal pincers and used to grip, pull, or cut something.

Definitions of pincer

1. noun

   a grasping structure on the limb of a crustacean or other arthropods
   synonyms: chela, claw, nipper

   type of:

   appendage, extremity, member

   an external body part that projects from the body
2. noun

   a hand tool for holding consisting of a compound lever for grasping
   synonyms: pair of pincers, pair of tweezers, tweezer

   types:

   roach clip, roach holder

   metal tweezers used by marijuana smokers to hold a roach

   type of:

   hand tool

   a tool used with workers' hands