obturator Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a prosthesis used to close an opening (as to close an opening of the hard palate in cases of cleft palate)

WordNet

Ob"tu*ra`tor noun
Etymology
NL., fr. L. obturare to stop up: cf.F. obturateur.
Definitions
  1. That which closes or stops an opening.
  2. (Surg.) An apparatus designed to close an unnatural opening, as a fissure of the palate.
Ob"tu*ra`tor adjective
Definitions
  1. (Anat.) Serving as an obturator; closing an opening; pertaining to, or in the region of, the obturator foramen; as, the obturator nerve.

Webster 1913