constrictor

 
Pronunciation: /kənˈstrɪktə/

noun

  • 1a snake that kills by coiling round its prey and asphyxiating it.
    • Families Boidae and Pythonidae, and some members of other families (in particular Colubridae)
  • 2 (also constrictor muscle) Anatomy a muscle whose contraction narrows a vessel or passage.
  • each of the muscles which constrict the pharynx.

Origin:

early 18th century: modern Latin, from constrict- 'bound tightly together', from the verb constringere (see constrain)