tə̇ˈnakyələm noun
( plural tenacu·la -ələ ; or tenaculums )
Etymology: New Latin, from Late Latin, instrument for holding, from Latin tenēre to hold + -aculum, suffix denoting instrument
1. : a slender sharp-pointed hook attached to a handle and used mainly in surgery for seizing and holding parts (as arteries)
2. : an adhesive structure: as
a. : a pair of partially fused appendages on the third abdominal segment of a collembolan which holds the furcula in place
b. : the claspers of a shark or a chimaera