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. 3. 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.
