obturator noun. ['ɒbtjʊreɪtǝ] E18.
[medieval Latin = obstructor, formed as OBTURATE: see -OR.]
1. Anatomy. More fully obturator muscle. Either of two paired muscles which partly cover the obturator foramen and serve to move the thigh and hip. E18.
b. attrib. Designating structures associated with these muscles or with the obturator foramen. M18.

2. An artificial device for blocking an opening; spec. (a) Medicine a plate which is fitted to cover a perforated or cleft palate and may also carry false teeth; (b) Medicine a wire or rod running inside a cannula or hollow needle; (c) Gunnery a cap, pad, etc., for preventing the escape of gas through a joint or hole, esp. through the breech of a gun. L19.

Comb.:
obturator foramen a large opening in the hip-bone between the pubis and the ischium. obturator muscle: see sense 1 above.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲