levator

[li-vey-ter, -tawr]

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for levator

Historical Examples of levator

Levator muscles that raise an organ, and Depressors that depress it.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)
William Kirby
The right eye was partially closed, but could be opened by the levator palpebræ superioris.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900
George Henry Makins
The levator palpebræ superioris acted very slightly; the right, however, better than the left.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900
George Henry Makins
The levator palpebræ was normal, but spasm of the orbicularis held the eye firmly closed.
Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900
George Henry Makins
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

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

Word Origin and History for levator

from medical Latin levator "a lifter," from Latin levatus, past participle of levare "to raise" (see lever).

levator in Medicine

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.