noun
stricture
A narrowing that restricts passage.
A stricture in the esophagus makes swallowing solid food difficult.
Etymology
Latin strictura means a drawing tight. The medical or physical sense directly describes a passage narrowed by that tightening.
More examples
- Scar tissue can cause a stricture in the intestine.
- The surgeon widens the stricture to restore normal urine flow.
- The scan reveals two strictures in the small intestine.
Forms
stricture · strictures
Similar words
- stenosis
- A broader medical term for abnormal narrowing, including heart valves.
- constriction
- Can describe temporary tightening rather than a lasting anatomical narrowing.