bistoury
(ˈbɪstərɪ, ˈbɪstʊrɪ)
Also 5 bystorye, 8–9 bistory, 9 bistouri.
[a. OF. bistorie (in sense 1), ad. mod.F. bistouri (in sense 2): origin uncertain: see Littré. (Said in some books to be from Pistorium, now Pistoja; but this is merely a conjecture from the similarity of the words.)]
† 1. A mediæval weapon, a large knife or dagger.
| 1490 Caxton Eneydos xvi. 65 Eneas had a bystorye or wepen crysolite, as it were a lityl swerde crosseles. |
2. Surgery. A scalpel; made in three forms, the straight, the curved, and the probe-pointed (which is also curved).
| 1748 Phil. Trans. XLV. 133 An Incision made with a Bistory. 1764 Smellie Midwif. I. Introd. 31 He must..amputate with a bistory. 1804 Abernethy Surg. Observ. 214 They were divided by the crooked bistoury. 1859 F. Mahoney Rel. Father Prout ii. 546 The surgeon's bistouri. 1873 Tristram Moab v. 92 Screwing my courage to use a bistory. |