Ventouse

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A cupping glass. obsolete

    "[I]t commeth at length to fall upon the fleſh which the ventoſe ſticketh faſt unto, and by heating and inchafing, it expreſſeth the humor that is within, into the ventoſe or cupping veſſel."

  2. 2
    A suction cup-like device used on a baby's head to assist in difficult childbirths.
Verb
  1. 1
    To cup; to use a cupping glass. obsolete

Example

More examples

"[I]t commeth at length to fall upon the fleſh which the ventoſe ſticketh faſt unto, and by heating and inchafing, it expreſſeth the humor that is within, into the ventoſe or cupping veſſel."

Etymology

Possibly continuing Middle English ventouse, ventuse, ventose, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman ventuse; or perhaps a reborrowing directly from French ventouse, or both.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.