URETHRAL SPHINCTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does urethral sphincter mean? 

• URETHRAL SPHINCTER (noun)
  The noun URETHRAL SPHINCTER has 1 sense:

1. a striated sphincter muscle that constricts the urethra

  Familiarity information: URETHRAL SPHINCTER used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• URETHRAL SPHINCTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A striated sphincter muscle that constricts the urethra

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

musculus sphincter urethrae; urethral sphincter

Hypernyms ("urethral sphincter" is a kind of...):

anatomical sphincter; sphincter; sphincter muscle (a ring of muscle that contracts to close an opening)

Holonyms ("urethral sphincter" is a part of...):

urethra (duct through which urine is discharged in most mammals and which serves as the male genital duct)

 Context examples 

Researchers grew human prostate cancer cells in laboratory dishes along with human muscle cells—stand-ins for the smooth muscle surrounding the prostate gland and the striated muscle of the urethral sphincter at the base of the prostate.

(Proximity to muscle cells may promote spread of prostate cancer cells, National Institutes of Health)