French for a turning device, from tourner (to turn) — named for the twisting action used to tighten the compression band
A device used to stop severe bleeding by compressing a limb's blood vessels, typically a tight band applied above a wound
From French 'tourniquet', derived from 'tourner' meaning to turn, from Latin 'tornare' (to turn on a lathe), from Greek 'tornos' (lathe, turning tool). The name refers to the original mechanism: a stick inserted through a bandage loop and turned (twisted) to tighten the binding and compress the blood vessels. The turning action is the defining feature preserved in the name. The device was refined during 17th-century battlefield surgery. Key
The French military surgeon Jean Louis Petit developed the screw tourniquet in 1718, replacing the stick-and-bandage method with a brass screw mechanism that allowed precise pressure control. His design remained the standard for battlefield medicine for over two centuries and the basic principle has not changed.