depressor

noun — 3 senses

depressor

noun

UK /dɪˈpɹɛ.sə/ · US /dɪˈpɹɛ.sə(ɹ)/

Etymology From depress + -or.

› One that depresses:

1

Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences Any of several muscles whose contraction pulls down a part of the body.

2

Anatomy, Medicine, Neuroanatomy, Neurology, Neuroscience, Physiology, Sciences A nerve or nerve fiber that decreases the activity or the tone of the organ or the part it innervates, such as lowering the blood pressure.

3

An instrument used to push something out of the way during an examination.

  • tongue depressor
Derived terms
tongue depressor
Related terms
depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, depressor septi, depressor septi nasi, depressor supercilii

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.