depressor
depressor — noun
- depressorsingular
- depressorsplural
1. a set of fibres in the body that, when they tighten, move a body part such as th
a set of fibres in the body that, when they tighten, move a body part such as the lip, jaw, or shoulder blade to a lower position
The depressor anguli oris muscle pulls the mouth corners down when a person frowns.
depressor + anatomical name for specific facial muscle
Ravindra damaged his depressor labii inferioris in a cycling accident last year.
A depressor muscle in the chin pulls the lower lip down when someone shows doubt.
The surgeon carefully avoided cutting the facial depressor that controls the lower lip.
During the anatomy exam, Sofia had to identify the depressor that lowers the shoulder blade.
- depressor muscle
fuller term used in anatomical naming, interchangeable with 'depressor' in medicine
- levator
a muscle that raises a body part upward, the functional opposite of a depressor
用法筆記
Anatomical depressors are named by the body part they lower, e.g. depressor anguli oris (mouth corner depressor). The opposite muscle type is the levator, which raises a part.
常見錯誤
2. a hand-held device that a doctor or dentist uses to gently push a tissue or body
a hand-held device that a doctor or dentist uses to gently push a tissue or body part aside so that the area underneath becomes visible or reachable
Dr. Liang asked the nurse for a tongue depressor to inspect the patient's throat.
tongue depressor — most common type
The dentist used a small depressor to move Dahlia's cheek and check her back tooth.
A metal depressor held the lung tissue out of the way during heart surgery.
Théo flinched when the doctor placed the cold depressor on his tongue.
Without a depressor, a doctor cannot see past the patient's tongue into the throat.
- retractor
a surgical tool that holds back tissue; a retractor often has a hooked or bladed shape, while a depressor is usually flat
- spatula
a flat tool similar in shape but more often used in a laboratory or pharmacy setting
- tongue blade
American English term for a tongue depressor, especially the flat wooden stick
用法筆記
The most common type is the tongue depressor (a flat wooden or metal stick). In surgery, depressors come in various shapes depending on which tissue needs to be moved.
常見錯誤
3. a bundle of nerve fibres that carries signals from the brain to slow down or cal
a bundle of nerve fibres that carries signals from the brain to slow down or calm what an internal body organ does, for example by lowering the heart rate or widening blood vessels
Bao stimulated the depressor nerve of a rat and watched its blood pressure drop.
depressor nerve + stimulated + animal experiment
Stimulating the depressor nerve of a rabbit causes its blood vessels to widen.
After a car crash, Yuki's damaged depressor nerve left his heart rate unregulated.
Roya's research focused on how the depressor nerve regulates breathing during sleep.
A functioning depressor nerve helps keep the heart from beating too fast under stress.
- inhibitory nerve
a nerve that reduces or prevents activity; broader in meaning than 'depressor nerve'
- vagal depressor fibre
a specific type of depressor nerve found in the vagus nerve system
- accelerator nerve
a nerve that increases the activity of an organ, opposite in function to a depressor nerve
用法筆記
Depressor nerves work as part of the autonomic nervous system. They are the opposite of accelerator or excitatory nerves, which increase organ activity. The term is most common in physiology textbooks and research contexts.