constrictor

/kənˈstrɪk.tər/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈstrɪk.tɚ/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈstrik-tər/ (ame, mw)

constrictor — noun

  • constrictorsingular
  • constrictorsplural

1. a snake that catches prey by looping its body around the animal and pressing unt

1.名詞B2
釋義

a snake that catches prey by looping its body around the animal and pressing until it can no longer breathe

例句

At the reptile house, Bao watched a constrictor curl around a rabbit.

pattern: curl around prey

The farmer found a constrictor hiding beneath warm boards near the shed.

同義詞
  • python

    narrower; it names one family of constricting snakes, not all of them

  • boa

    narrower; it names a different family within the broader constrictor group

  • snake

    much broader; it includes venomous and non-venomous snakes of every kind

文法句型

a constrictor coils around prey

pet constrictor

用法筆記

Usually used for snakes such as pythons, boas, and anacondas. The word highlights the method of killing by squeezing, not the species name.

常見錯誤

❌Every constrictor is a python.
✅A python is one kind of constrictor.
💡constrictor is a broad group based on how the snake kills, not one single species.

2. a muscle that tightens to make a body opening or passage smaller

2.名詞C1
釋義

a muscle that tightens to make a body opening or passage smaller

例句

The speech therapist explained how a throat constrictor pushes food downward.

anatomy: throat constrictor

After surgery, one constrictor was too weak to close the opening.

同義詞
  • sphincter

    more specific; usually a circular constrictor around an opening

  • closing muscle

    plain-language description, but less exact than the anatomical term

反義詞
  • dilator

    a muscle that widens an opening instead of narrowing it

文法句型

throat constrictor

constrictor muscle

用法筆記

Most often seen in anatomy labels such as throat constrictor or iris constrictor. Unlike sense 1, this sense refers to a body muscle that closes or narrows part of the body.

常見錯誤

❌A constrictor is any muscle in the body.
✅A constrictor is a muscle that narrows an opening or passage.
💡the term is used for a specific closing function, not for muscles in general.