depressor

English

Etymology

From depress +‎ -or.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɹɛs.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɹɛs.ɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsə(ɹ)

Noun

depressor (plural depressors or (muscle) depressores)

1. Anything that depresses:
   1. (anatomy) Any of several muscles whose contraction pulls down a part of the body.

      Hyponyms: depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, depressor septi nasi, depressor supercilii, tongue depressor

      Antonym: levator

   2. (neuroanatomy, physiology) A nerve or nerve fiber that decreases the activity or the tone of the organ or the part it innervates, such as lowering the blood pressure.

      Hyponym: vasodepressor

   3. An instrument used to push something out of the way during an examination.

Derived terms

• depressor septi

Translations

anything that depresses

French: abaisseur (fr) Italian: depressore m

References

• “depressor”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “depressor”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Latin

Etymology

From dēprimō (“I press down, weigh down frequently”) (supine dēpressum) +‎ -tor (“-er”, agent noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [deːˈprɛs.sɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [d̪eˈprɛs.sor]

Noun

dēpressor m (genitive dēpressōris); third declension (Late Latin)

1. that which presses down or depresses; depressor

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Inflection

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	dēpressor	dēpressōrēs
genitive	dēpressōris	dēpressōrum
dative	dēpressōrī	dēpressōribus
accusative	dēpressōrem	dēpressōrēs
ablative	dēpressōre	dēpressōribus
vocative	dēpressor	dēpressōrēs