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constriction

[kuhn-strik-shuhn]
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noun
  1. the act of constricting.
  2. the state of being constricted; tightness or inward pressure.
  3. a constricted part.
  4. something that constricts.
  5. Phonetics. an articulated narrowing of the vocal tract that in consonants audibly obstructs the flow of air and in vowels defines an interconnection between or among resonance cavities.Compare closure(def 6).
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Origin of constriction

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin constrīctiōn- (stem of constrīctiō), equivalent to Latin constrīct(us) (see constrict) + -iōn- -ion

Synonyms

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2. compression, contraction, stricture.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

narrowingrestrictionlimitationcompressionconstraintstricturebindingcramppressurereductionimpedimentcontractionchokingstenosis

Examples from the Web for constriction

Historical Examples

  • He seemed to strive, to say more, but failed for the constriction of his throat.

    Nobody

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • Constriction of life, owing to this narrowness of culture, must no longer be encouraged.

    Creative Unity

    Rabindranath Tagore

  • Mr. Osborne complained of constriction of the chest—but this soon wore off.

  • The river became mildly excited, as if in protest at the constriction.

    Yellowstone Nights

    Herbert Quick

  • The gunboats had cut the coils, and loosened the constriction.

British Dictionary definitions for constriction

constriction

noun
  1. a feeling of tightness in some part of the body, such as the chest
  2. the act of constricting or condition of being constricted
  3. something that is constricted
  4. genetics a localized narrow region of a chromosome, esp at the centromere
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Derived Formsconstrictive, adjectiveconstrictively, adverbconstrictiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for constriction

n.

c.1400, from Latin constrictionem (nominative constrictio), noun of action from past participle stem of constringere "compress" (see constrain).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
constriction in Medicine

constriction

(kən-strĭk′shən)
n.
  1. The act of constricting or the state of being constricted.
  2. A feeling of tightness or pressure, as in the chest.
  3. A constricted or narrow part.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.