depressor

C2 Topic:The Human Body

US /dɪˈpɹɛsɚ/ UK /dɪˈpɹɛsə/ See IPA manual

Freq #100761

Meanings

1

noun
an anatomical muscle that lowers or draws down a body part

The depressor at the corner of the mouth helps produce a downturned expression.
2

noun
a nerve whose activity reduces the activity, pressure, or tone of the part it supplies

Stimulation of the depressor nerve lowered the animal's blood pressure.
3

noun
a medical instrument used to press a body part down or aside during examination or surgery

The clinician used a tongue depressor to inspect the patient's throat.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an anatomical muscle that... depressor muscle

2 noun · a nerve whose activity... depressor nerve

3 noun · a medical instrument used... depressing instrument

Opposites

elevator

Word family

Forms depressoresdepressors

Related forms depress depression levator

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

tongue depressor
a thin instrument used to hold the tongue down during a mouth examination

Noun + noun

Etymology

From depress + the agent suffix -or, ultimately from Latin deprimere ('to press down'), from de- ('down') + premere ('to press'). Anatomists use depressor for a muscle or nerve that lowers a structure or its activity; medicine also uses it for an instrument that presses tissue aside.

Topics

The Human Body Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# depressor

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈpɹɛsɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈpɹɛsə/
**Frequency rank:** 100761

## Meanings
1. an anatomical muscle that lowers or draws down a body part
2. a nerve whose activity reduces the activity, pressure, or tone of the part it supplies
3. a medical instrument used to press a body part down or aside during examination or surgery

## Examples
- The depressor at the corner of the mouth helps produce a downturned expression.
- Stimulation of the depressor nerve lowered the animal's blood pressure.
- The clinician used a tongue depressor to inspect the patient's throat.

## Synonyms
- depressor muscle
- depressor nerve

## Antonyms
- elevator

## Related Forms
- depress
- depression
- levator

## Etymology
From depress + the agent suffix -or, ultimately from Latin deprimere ('to press down'), from de- ('down') + premere ('to press'). Anatomists use depressor for a muscle or nerve that lowers a structure or its activity; medicine also uses it for an instrument that presses tissue aside.

## Topics
- The Human Body
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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