Stricture

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Stricture \Stric"ture\, n. [L. strictura a contraction, from
     stringere, strictum, to draw tight: cf. F. stricture. See
     {Strict}.]
     1. Strictness. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  


              A man of stricture and firm abstinence. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A stroke; a glance; a touch. [Obs.] --Sir M. Hale.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A touch of adverse criticism; censure.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              [I have] given myself the liberty of these
              strictures by way of reflection on all and every
              passage.                              --Hammond.
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     4. (Med.) A localized morbid contraction of any passage of
        the body. Cf. {Organic stricture}, and {Spasmodic
        stricture}, under {Organic}, and {Spasmodic}. --Arbuthnot.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  stricture
       n 1: abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway [syn: {stenosis}]
       2: severe criticism

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  146 Moby Thesaurus words for "stricture":
     abbreviation, adverse criticism, anathema, animadversion,
     arraignment, arrest, arrestation, arrestment, aspersion,
     astriction, astringency, bad notices, bad press, blame, blockage,
     blocking, bottleneck, captiousness, carping, castigation, cavil,
     caviling, censoriousness, censure, cervix, check, circumscription,
     clogging, closing up, closure, coarctation, compactedness,
     compaction, compression, compressure, concentration, condemnation,
     condensation, consolidation, constraint, constriction,
     constringency, contraction, contracture, cramp, criticism,
     curtailment, damnation, decrease, decrial, delay, denouncement,
     denunciation, detainment, detention, deterrent, diminuendo,
     exception, excoriation, faultfinding, fixation, flak, flaying,
     foot-dragging, fulmination, fustigation, hairsplitting, hampering,
     hindering, hindrance, hit, holdback, holdup, home thrust,
     hostile criticism, hourglass, hourglass figure, hypercriticalness,
     hypercriticism, impeachment, impediment, imputation, indictment,
     inhibition, interdiction, interference, interruption, isthmus,
     knitting, knock, let, nagging, narrow place, narrowing, neck,
     negativism, niggle, niggling, nit, nit-picking, nuisance value,
     obloquy, obstruction, obstructionism, occlusion, opposition,
     overcriticalness, pestering, pettifogging, pillorying,
     priggishness, puckering, pursing, quibble, quibbling, rap,
     reduction, reflection, reprehension, repression, reproachfulness,
     reprobation, resistance, restraint, restriction, retardation,
     retardment, setback, shortening, skinning alive, slam,
     solidification, squeeze, stranglehold, stranglement, strangulation,
     striction, suppression, swipe, systole, taking exception, taper,
     tapering, trichoschistism, wasp waist, wrinkling