SPHINCTER


Meaning of SPHINCTER in English

/ ˈsfɪŋktə(r); NAmE / noun

( anatomy ) a ring of muscle that surrounds an opening in the body and can contract to close it :

the anal sphincter

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WORD ORIGIN

late 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek sphinktēr , from sphingein bind tight.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.