noun
sphincter
SFIHNGK-t
noun
1
A ring of muscle around a body opening that tightens or relaxes to control what passes through it.
"The anal sphincter controls the release of waste from the body."
How to Use Sphincter
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA ring-shaped muscle that opens and closes a body passage.
When to use it
A clinical/anatomical term, mostly used in medical contexts.
Word Forms
sphincters plural, sphincteres plural
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The anal _____ controls the release of waste from the body.
Etymology
A learned borrowing from Late Latin sphinctēr, from Ancient Greek σφιγκτήρ (sphinktḗr, "band, contractile muscle") — possibly related to "sphinx," meaning roughly "the strangler."