Etymology

sphincter

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Today it means: A ringlike band of muscle that surrounds a bodily opening (such as the anus or the openings of the stomach), constricting and relaxing as required for normal physiological functioning. Full definition →

Late Latin sphinctēr ← Ancient Greek σφῐγκτήρ ← Pre-Greek
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The story

  1. Pre-Greek · derived from
  2. Ancient Greek · derived fromσφῐγκτήρ“lace, band; contractile muscle”
  3. Late Latin · learned borrowing fromsphinctēr“the muscle of the anus”
  4. English todaysphincter

Learned borrowing from Late Latin sphinctēr (“the muscle of the anus”), from Ancient Greek σφῐγκτήρ (sphĭnktḗr, “lace, band; contractile muscle”), ultimately of Pre-Greek origin. Possibly related to sphinx (“the strangler”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.