A cut is wound in the skin and possibly deeper tissues, produced by a sharp instrument. It is wider than it is deep. A cut can happen anywhere on the body. The wound edges will be straight and have clean edges. The depth of a cut may vary. Cuts can be caused by a scalpel and then are called incisions. If a cut is deeper than it is wide it is then called a stab wound.
The word "cut" is commonly misused. If a sharp instrument does not cause the break; it is not a cut. A common mix-up is to call a cut a laceration. Lacerations are caused by blunt force trauma not a sharp instrument. This is important in a forensic medical record because an injury caused by a sharp may be investigated and prosecuted quite differently than another type of wound.
Proper naming of the wound can help guide law enforcement officers in looking for the weapon used. It also prevents the introduction of reasonable doubt on the witness stand if the health care provider testifying is asked to explain why s/he charted a cut when the injury was caused by blunt force instead of a sharp.
SOURCES:
class notes and the textbook
Forensic Emergency Medicine.