Definition of "levator" [le•va•tor]

• Anatomy A muscle that raises a bodily part. (noun)
• A surgical instrument for lifting the depressed fragments of a fractured skull. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "• The Canine (one-third of people): Here a particular muscle (called the levator labii superioris, for you anatomy junkies) is dominant and exposes the canine teeth before the full smile."
• "CHAPEL HILL -- A new study conducted by Italian researchers, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, finds that biofeedback is more effective than two other treatments for a type of chronic rectal pain called levator ani syndrome."
• "This pain often gets worse during bowel movements because of pressure on a muscle in the pelvic floor called the levator ani."