retractor

[ri-trak-ter]

noun

a person or thing that retracts.
Anatomy. a muscle that retracts an organ or protruded part.
Surgery. an instrument or appliance for drawing back an impeding part, as the edge of an incision.

a mechanism, device, or the like that regulates retraction: to adjust the retractor on a seat belt.

Origin of retractor

First recorded in 1830–40; retract¹ + -or²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for retractor

Historical Examples of retractor

The back of the scoop was used as a retractor for delicate structures.
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times
John Stewart Milne
These consist of four straight muscles, two oblique, and one retractor.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse
United States Department of Agriculture
Scotty pulled the retractor of his rifle and a cartridge rammed into the firing chamber.
The Golden Skull
John Blaine
Paresi took tweezers, a retractor, two scalpels and a hypodermic case out of the kit and laid them in a neat row on the bunk.
Breaking Point
James E. Gunn
There is, however, another muscle—the Retractor oculi—belonging to the same group which is innervated by the VIth nerve.
The Origin of Vertebrates
Walter Holbrook Gaskell

British Dictionary definitions for retractor

retractor

noun

anatomy any of various muscles that retract an organ or part
surgery an instrument for holding back the edges of a surgical incision or organ or part
a person or thing that retracts

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

retractor in Medicine

retractor

[rĭ-trăk′tər]

A surgical instrument used to hold back organs or the edges of an incision.
A muscle, such as a flexor, that retracts an organ or a part.