The History and Many Uses of Tweezers
Tweezers as we know them today serve many practical functions, like plucking one’s eyebrows, removing a splinter from the skin, reparing a watch, cooking or performing delicate surgical operations. They can also be used to manipulate mechanical parts and generally handle any object too small for the human hand to comfortably grab.
This handy invention dates back to pre-Dynastic Egypt and was probably used for beading and other delicate tasks. According to Wikipedia, drawings of Egyptian craftsmen have been discovered that depict the use of a double-bow, tweezer-like tool used to grip pots and hold them over ovens. By 3000 B.C., tweezers were used in Mesopotamia and India. Evidence shows that the Romans also used them.
It is speculated that tweezers come from similar instruments like tongs, pincers and pliers. Tweezers mimic the action of the clinching together of a human thumb and finger, performing duties that a person’s hand may not be capable of because of size restraints. Called "forceps" in the medical field, this instrument serves as a surgical tool. They are used in dental procedures, dissection, surgeries and more.
Tweezers are constructed in two different ways, the first of which involves melding two angled pieces of metal together. Another simpler and more inexpensive way to create tweezers is when one piece of metal is bent in half. Some variations have loops or hooks on the end for better grabbing.
The word tweezer takes its origin from France. "Etui" is at the root of the word. It comes from "etwee" that is taken from the Old French verb "estuier," meaning to hold or keep safe. An etwee describes a petite case that people would use to carry small objects (such as toothpicks) with them. Over time, the object now known as "tweezers" took on this name because the tool was commonly found in these tiny carrying cases. Eventually, the word "tweeze" was accepted as a verb in the English language.