lancet
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lansuhtSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlænsət
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade; used for punctures and small incisions
A sharp, pointed, two-edged surgical instrument used in venesection and for opening abscesses etc.
architecture
An acutely pointed Gothic arch, like a lance
A small, sterile single-use needle used to draw a drop of blood for testing, as with a glucometer.
architecture
A high narrow window, terminating in an acutely pointed arch, common in Gothic architecture.
verb
To pierce with a lancet.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade; used for punctures and small incisions
Used this way, lancet is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An acutely pointed Gothic arch, like a lance.
Large elongate scaleless oceanic fishes with sharp teeth and a long dorsal fin that resembles a sail.
A narrow window having a lancet arch and without tracery.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to pierce with a lancet
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.