retractor
UK /ɹɪˈtɹæktə/ · US /ɹɪˈtɹæktɚ/ noun
Forms retractors
- noun One who, or that which, retracts.
- noun In breech-loading firearms, a device for withdrawing a cartridge shell from the barrel.
- noun (chess) A chess puzzle in which a number of moves are retracted and the solver is challenged to reach an alternate outcome.
- noun A surgical instrument used to hold apart the edges of an incision or wound.
- noun A bandage to protect soft parts of the body from injury by a surgical saw.
- noun (zoology) A muscle serving to draw in any part.
Etymology
From retract + -or.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who, or that which, retracts. Specifically: (a) In breech-loading firearms, a device for withdrawing a cartridge shell from the barrel. (b) (Surg.)
- noun An instrument for holding apart the edges of a wound during amputation.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “retractor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details