stricture

/ˈstrɪktʃər/

Other forms: strictures

One meaning of stricture is a nasty criticism, while the other is a sharp contraction of a tube or canal in the body. Either meaning can mean great pain to the person experiencing the stricture.

The noun stricture finds its roots in the Late Latin word strictūra, which came from the stem stringere, "to draw tightly." You might remember that meaning by its relationship with the word constrict, meaning "to tighten or draw in." The additional meaning, that of “a critical remark,” is often used in the plural form — like "the critical strictures against cheating."

Definitions of stricture

1. noun

   a principle that limits the extent of something
   synonyms: limitation, restriction

   types:

   narrowness

   a restriction of range or scope

   quantification

   a limitation imposed on the variables of a proposition (as by the quantifiers `some' or `all' or `no')

   restraint

   a rule or condition that limits freedom

   floodgate

   something that restrains a flood or outpouring

   type of:

   regulation, rule

   a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
2. noun

   abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway
   synonyms: stenosis

   types:

   aortic stenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the aortic valve

   enterostenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the intestine

   laryngostenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the larynx

   pulmonary stenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the opening into the pulmonary artery from the right ventricle

   pyloric stenosis

   narrowing of the pyloric sphincter that blocks the passage of food from the stomach into the duodenum

   rhinostenosis

   narrowing of the passages in the nasal cavities

   mitral stenosis, mitral valve stenosis

   obstruction or narrowing of the mitral valve (as by scarring from rheumatic fever)

   ureterostenosis

   stenosis of the ureter

   type of:

   pathology

   any deviation from a healthy or normal condition
3. noun

   severe criticism
   type of:

   criticism, unfavorable judgment

   disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings