constriction

1 a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel [syn: bottleneck, chokepoint]

2 tight or narrow compression [syn: coarctation]

3 a feeling of tightness in some part of the body; "he felt a constriction in her chest"; "emotion caused a constriction of his throat"

4 the action or process of compressing

English

Noun

1. The act of constricting, the state of being constricted, or something that constricts
2. A narrow part of something; a stricture
3. A compression

Translations

Snakes

Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly-venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom. The snake initially strikes at its prey and holds on, pulling the prey into its coils or, in the case of very large prey, pulling itself onto the prey. The snake will then wrap one or two coils around the prey.

Contrary to myth, the snake does not crush the prey, or even break its bones. Traditionally, it has been thought that snakes hold tightly enough to prevent the prey from drawing air into its lungs, resulting in death from asphyxia. However, some prey items seem to die faster than would be possible through asphyxia, so it has also been suggested that the pressure of constriction causes a rise in the pressure in the prey's body cavity greater than the heart can counter, resulting in immediate cardiac arrest. This new hypothesis has yet to be confirmed, but data indicates that snakes can exert enough pressure for this mechanism to be plausible. Research into this topic is ongoing.

Certain groups of snakes have characteristic patterns of constriction, including the number of coils they use and the orientation of the coils.

Other meanings

Constriction, the opposite of dilation or dilatation, also refers to vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels caused by vascular smooth muscle contractions.

Constriction can also refer to the act of binding a victim with rope, either as a method of torture or sexual bondage.

abbreviation, arrest, arrestation, arrestment, astriction, astringency, blockage, blocking, bottleneck, cervix, check, circumscription, clogging, closing up, closure, coarctation, compactedness, compaction, compression, compressure, concentration, condensation, consolidation, constringency, contraction, contracture, cramp, curtailment, decrease, delay, detainment, detention, diminuendo, fixation, foot-dragging, hampering, hindering, hindrance, holdback, holdup, hourglass, hourglass figure, impediment, inhibition, interference, interruption, isthmus, knitting, let, narrow place, narrowing, neck, negativism, nuisance value, obstruction, obstructionism, occlusion, opposition, puckering, pursing, reduction, repression, resistance, restraint, restriction, retardation, retardment, setback, shortening, solidification, squeeze, stranglehold, stranglement, strangulation, striction, stricture, suppression, systole, taper, tapering, wasp waist, wrinkling