sphincter

Learned borrowing from Late Latin sphinctēr (“the muscle of the anus”), from Ancient Greek σφῐγκτήρ (sphĭnktḗr, “lace, band; contractile muscle”), ultimately of Pre-Greek origin. Possibly related to sphinx (“the strangler”).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsfɪŋk.tɚ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

sphincter (plural sphincters or sphincteres)

1. (anatomy) A ringlike band of muscle that surrounds a bodily opening (such as the anus or the openings of the stomach), constricting and relaxing as required for normal physiological functioning.

   Hyponyms: anal sphincter, lissosphincter, lower esophageal sphincter, pyloric sphincter, rhabdosphincter, sphincter of Oddi, upper esophageal sphincter, urethral sphincter

   the sphincter of the bladder

   the iris sphincter in the eye

   • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (The Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, page 836:

     She decided that she would force him to climax first by the sheer strength of her young animal control, the strength of her sphincters […]

   • 2017 August 9, Mark Carnall, “Why do cephalopods produce ink? And what's ink made of, anyway?”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The ink sac feeds into the rectum, controlled by a sphincter and in some inking events mucus from another organ, the funnel organ is ejected with water and ink through the anus and the siphon to create a cloud of ink.

   • 2017 September, Drew Kann, “How a CIA traitor turned his son into a Russian spy”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     Polygraph operators place their subjects on a pad that can sense the clenching of their sphincters, a device known by those who’ve sat on them as the “whoopee cushion.” Maguire took his seat, his sphincter already tight enough to crush walnuts.

   • 2019 February 1, AJ Willingham, “How to watch the Super Bowl and actually keep up”, in CNN‎^[3]:

     Go ahead, use your eye sphincters and watch the roof opening and closing.

• sphincteral
• sphincteric
• sphinctero-

• sphinx

• cardia

• “sphincter”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “sphincter”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Borrowed from Late Latin sphinctēr (“the muscle of the anus”), from Ancient Greek σφῐγκτήρ (sphĭnktḗr, “lace, band; contractile muscle”).

• IPA^(key): /sfɛ̃k.tɛʁ/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

sphincter m (plural sphincters)

1. (anatomy) sphincter

• “sphincter”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from Ancient Greek σφῐγκτήρ (sphĭnktḗr, “lace, band; contractile muscle”), from σφῐ́γγω (sphĭ́ngō, “to bind tight or fast”) +‎ -τήρ (-tḗr, “-er, -or”, nominal suffix).

• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈsfiŋk.t̪er]

sphinctēr m (genitive sphinctēris); third declension (Late Latin)

1. (anatomy) The sphincter, the muscle of the anus.

Third-declension noun.

• → English: sphincter
• → French: sphincter