dilator

American  

[dahy-ley-ter, dih-, dahy-ley-] / daɪˈleɪ tər, dɪ-, ˈdaɪ leɪ- /

Or dilater

noun

1. Anatomy. a muscle that dilates some cavity of the body.

2. Surgery. an instrument for dilating body canals, orifices, or cavities.

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dilator British  

/ daɪˈleɪtə, dɪ-, ˌdɪ-, ˌdaɪləˈteɪtə /

noun

1. something that dilates an object, esp a surgical instrument for dilating a bodily cavity

2. a muscle that expands an orifice or dilates an organ

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Etymology

Origin of dilator

First recorded in 1595–1605; dilate + -or ²

Example Sentences

The internal canal of the cervix is also “physiologically closed,” Espey said, and “you have to push pretty hard” or even use a dilator for the IUD to get in.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2023

If you want to use something that will physically open up your airways, Gelb recommends the Muse dilator, a reusable device that you insert within your nostrils to increase airflow.

From Slate • Nov. 29, 2018

Stacy Tessler Lindau, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago Medicine, says vaginal dilator therapy desensitizes the vaginal muscles to mitigate the reflexive response.

From US News • Sep. 15, 2014

Next the surgeon tunnels into the exposed muscle with a special steel dilator, twisting and turning until he has formed a canal in the muscle through which he draws the tube of skin.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bedside tray should contain:   Duplicate cannula   Scalpel   Trousseau dilator   Hemostat   Dressing forceps   Sterile vaseline   Scissors   Tape   Probe   Gauze sponges   Gauze squares   Probe-pointed curved bistoury.

From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Jackson, Chevalier