contractility

American  

[kon-trak-til-i-tee] / ˌkɒn trækˈtɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the property, as of muscle or other tissue, of being able to contract, or draw itself together, reducing its dimensions.

   Improvements in the contractility of the heart can be measured by a number of different methods to determine how much blood the heart pumps with each beat.

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Etymology

Origin of contractility

First recorded in 1710–20; contractil(e) ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

"Even partial restoration of the connection between the right vagus nerve and the heart is sufficient to counteract the mechanisms of remodelling and preserve effective cardiac contractility," adds Anar Dushpanova, cardiologist at TrancriLab.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

Compaction problems are therefore due to faulty contractility in these cells, and not a lack of adhesion between them, as was previously assumed.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2024

Later, foxglove was found to contain digitalis, a drug that increases heart contractility.

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2013

The primary factors controlling SV include preload, contractility, and afterload.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

As respects insuring contractility by the former of these processes, the act certainly cannot claim to promise high efficiency.

From Readings in Money and Banking Selected and Adapted by Phillips, Chester Arthur