Earspoons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small spoon-shaped instruments used to gently scoop wax out of the ear canal
2. Tiny scoop-like tools designed for clearing earwax from inside the ears
3. Narrow, spoon-ended implements that people use to remove wax from the ear

Etymology: "Earspoons" is the plural of "earspoon," a small spoon-shaped instrument for scooping ear wax. The word is a plain compound of "ear" and "spoon," and its older form in Middle English was "herespon," which shows the same two parts in an earlier spelling, with "here" as the Middle English form of "ear." Because the word is built from two ordinary English words, its meaning is transparent: the tool is a spoon used on the ear. The earlier form "herespon" lets us see how the combination was spelled before modern spelling settled, and the sense has stayed the same for centuries.

Synonyms: ear scoop, earscoop