stricture
UK/'striktʃә/US
GREC2
Definitions
n.
A sharp criticism or censure.
严厉的批评，指责。
n.
A rule or restriction that limits behavior.
限制，约束（规定）。
n.
(Medicine) An abnormal narrowing of a passage in the body.
（医学）狭窄。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedstrict (drawn tight) + -ure (act/result). Literally a "tightening, a narrowing." Medically it's a narrowed passage; figuratively a stricture is a tight limit on behavior, or a sharp critical remark that pins someone down.
Root strain still carries 57 more wordsWhy It Means This
The "criticism" sense is the surprising one: a stricture (a tightening) became a remark that tightens the screws on someone — a censure. So "pass strictures on someone" means to subject them to harsh criticism, not to physically narrow anything.
Common Collocations
- 1.pass strictures on对……提出批评
- 2.urethral stricture尿道狭窄
- 3.[legal strictures]法律限制
- 4.strictures on behavior对行为的约束
Example Sentences
- 1.
The critic passed harsh strictures on the novel.
- 2.
Surgery was needed to relieve the stricture.