constrictor

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from New Latin cōnstrictor, or from constrict + -or. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kənˈstɹɪk.tə/ (General American) IPA(key): /kənˈstɹɪk.tɚ/ Rhymes: -ɪktə(ɹ) === Noun === constrictor (plural constrictors or constrictores) That which constricts or tightens: (anatomy) A muscle whose contraction narrows a vessel or passage or compresses an organ. Hyponyms: bronchoconstrictor, vasoconstrictor (anatomy) Ellipsis of pharyngeal constrictor (“each of the muscles which constrict the pharynx”). Ellipsis of boa constrictor, either the species Boa constrictor or a similar snake that kills by constriction. ==== Derived terms ==== bronchoconstrictor constrictor knot vasoconstrictor ==== Translations ==== === References === “constrictor”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “constrictor”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. == Latin == === Etymology === From cōnstringō (“to draw or bind together; to compress”) + -tor (“-er, -or”). === Pronunciation === (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [konˈstrik.tor] === Noun === cōnstrictor m (genitive cōnstrictōris); third declension (New Latin) That which constricts; constrictor. ==== Inflection ==== Third-declension noun. ==== Descendants ==== → English: constrictor French: constricteur Italian: costrittore Spanish: constrictor == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French constricteur. === Adjective === constrictor m or n (feminine singular constrictoare, masculine plural constrictori, feminine/neuter plural constrictoare) constrictor ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === Formed from the root of Latin cōnstrictus, with the suffix -or; equivalent to New Latin constrictor. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /konstɾiɡˈtoɾ/ [kõns.t̪ɾiɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ] Rhymes: -oɾ Syllabification: cons‧tric‧tor === Adjective === constrictor (feminine constrictora, masculine plural constrictores, feminine plural constrictoras) constricting ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “constrictor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025