sphincter

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   anatomy: a ring of muscle that contracts to narrow or close a bodily opening or passage

   The pyloric sphincter controls the movement of stomach contents into the small intestine.

Common collocations

• bladder sphincter Noun + noun

Borrowed through Late Latin sphincter from Greek sphinkter, 'band or contractile muscle,' from sphingein, 'bind tight or squeeze.' The name describes the muscle's closing action.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images