contractile

American  

[kuhn-trak-tl, -til] / kənˈtræk tl, -tɪl /

adjective

1. capable of contracting or causing contraction.

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contractile British  

/ ˌkɒntrækˈtɪlɪtɪ, kənˈtræktaɪl /

adjective

1. having the power to contract or to cause contraction

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Other Word Forms

• contractility noun
• uncontractile adjective

Etymology

Origin of contractile

First recorded in 1700–10; contract + -ile

Example Sentences

"We linked each property to different contractile mechanisms and asked how they are connected to cancer cell escape and tumor aggressiveness."

From Science Daily • May 7, 2024

The findings revealed that the leg phase angle could estimate muscle contractile properties.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2024

Furthermore, declaring a single, electrically active and contractile organ, or the contractile cells it comes from, the stand-alone determinant of personhood is simply not valid.

From Scientific American • Jan. 23, 2023

These animals possess a ring of muscles lining the dome of the body, which provides the contractile force required to swim through water.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Under such circumstances this state of the heart is attributable in great measure to the complication which has weakened its contractile power.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various