The word 老虎钳 is formed by combining 老虎 (lǎo hǔ), meaning "tiger", with 钳 (qián), meaning "pincers" or "clamp", to create a compound noun that literally translates to "tiger pliers". This term directly references the tool's resemblance to a tiger's mouth or its strong, gripping action, with 老 serving as a common prefix in 老虎 to denote the animal, and 钳 specifying the tool category.