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.

Nearby words

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

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

levator

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

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.