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sphincter
8 dictionary results for: sphincter
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
sphinc·ter       [sfingk-ter] Pronunciation Key
–noun Anatomy.
a circular band of voluntary or involuntary muscle that encircles an orifice of the body or one of its hollow organs.
[Origin: 1570–80; < LL < Gk sphinktr, equiv. to sphing-, base of sphíngein to hold tight + -tér suffix denoting agent]

—Related forms
sphinc·ter·al, sphinc·te·ri·al       [sfingk-teer-ee-uhl] Pronunciation Key, sphinc·ter·ic       [sfingk-ter-ik] Pronunciation Key, sphinc·ter·ate       [sfingk-ter-it, -tuh-reyt] Pronunciation Key, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sphinc·ter       (sfĭngk'tər)  Pronunciation Key 
n.   A ringlike muscle that normally maintains constriction of a body passage or orifice and that relaxes as required by normal physiological functioning.


[Late Latin sphinctēr, from Greek sphinktēr, from sphingein, to bind tight.]

sphinc'ter·al adj.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sphincter 
1578, from M.Fr. sphincter, from L.L. sphincter "contractile muscle," from Gk. sphinkter "band, anything that binds tight," from sphingein "to squeeze, bind," of unknown origin. First used in anatomical sense by Galen.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
sphincter

noun
a ring of muscle that contracts to close an opening 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sphincter       (sfĭngk'tər)  Pronunciation Key 
A ring-shaped muscle that encircles an opening or passage in the body. The opening and closing of the anus is controlled by contraction and relaxation of a sphincter, as is the opening that leads to the stomach from the esophagus.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

sphincter sphinc·ter (sfĭngk'tər)
n.
A ringlike muscle that normally maintains constriction of a body passage or orifice and that relaxes as required by normal physiological functioning. Also called anatomical sphincter.

sphinc'ter·al or sphinc·ter'ic (-těr'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sphincter

Sphinc"ter\, n. [NL., fr. ??? to bind tight.] (Anat.) A muscle which surrounds, and by its contraction tends to close, a natural opening; as, the sphincter of the bladder.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sphincter

Sphinc"ter\, a. (Anat.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, a sphincter; as, a sphincter muscle.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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