Hypertext Webster Gateway: "retractor"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Retractor \Re*tract"or\, n.
One who, or that which, retracts. Specifically:
(a) In breech-loading firearms, a device for withdrawing a
cartridge shell from the barrel.
(b) (Surg.) An instrument for holding apart the edges of a
wound during amputation.
(c) (Surg.) A bandage to protect the soft parts from injury
by the saw during amputation.
(d) (Anat. & Zo["o]l.) A muscle serving to draw in any organ
or part. See Illust. under {Phylactol[ae]mata}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
retractor
n : surgical instrument that holds back the edges of a surgical
incision
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