levator

[ li-vey-ter, -tawr ]

/ lɪˈveɪ tər, -tɔr /

noun, plural lev·a·to·res [lev-uh-tawr-eez, -tohr-] /ˌlɛv əˈtɔr iz, -ˈtoʊr-/.

Anatomy. a muscle that raises a part of the body.Compare depressor.

Surgery. an instrument used to raise a depressed part of the skull.

Nearby words

levant storax, levant wormseed, levanter, levantine, levarterenol, levator, levee, level, level best, level compensator, level crossing

Origin of levator

1605–15; < New Latin, special use of Medieval Latin levātor one who raises (levies) recruits or taxes (Latin: mitigator), equivalent to Latin levā(re) to raise + -tor -tor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for levator

In sewing up, it is important to reunite the cut edges of the levator ani, or pelvic weakness will result.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
The levator palpebrae superioris is paralysed, and the resulting ptosis completes the picture.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth
The needle is then again carried through the levator palpebr, palpebral ligament, and orbicularis in the upper part of the wound.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
The levator coccygis is less altered in different species of the family than is the lateralis caudae.
Phylogeny of the Waxwings and Allied Birds|M. Dale Arvey

The levator coccygis, together with the two muscles mentioned above, is responsible for elevation of the tail.
Phylogeny of the Waxwings and Allied Birds|M. Dale Arvey

British Dictionary definitions for levator

levator

/ (lɪˈveɪtə, -tɔː) /

noun

anatomy any of various muscles that raise a part of the body

surgery an instrument for elevating a part or structure

Word Origin for levator

C17: New Latin, from Latin levāre to raise

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

Medicine definitions for levator

levator

[ lə-vā′tər ]

n. pl. lev•a•to•res (lĕv′ə-tôr′ēz)

A surgical instrument for lifting the depressed fragments of a fractured skull.

A muscle that raises a body part.