STRIK-churz
/ˈstɹɪktʃɚz/
strictures is pronounced STRIK-churz (/ˈstɹɪktʃɚz/). Strictures refer to narrowings or constrictions in passages or ducts, often causing obstruction. In medicine, it denotes a narrowing of a bodily lumen; in broader usage, it can mean limiting rules or restrictions. The term carries a formal, clinical tone and is used in precise descriptive contexts. It typically appears in medical discussions, legal texts about limitations, or discussions of regulations and constraints, conveying a sense of constraint or narrowing.
Strictures refer to narrowings or constrictions in passages or ducts, often causing obstruction. In medicine, it denotes a narrowing of a bodily lumen; in broader usage, it can mean limiting rules or restrictions. The term carries a formal, clinical tone and is used in precise descriptive contexts. It typically appears in medical discussions, legal texts about limitations, or discussions of regulations and constraints, conveying a sense of constraint or narrowing.
"The patient underwent balloon dilation to relieve the urethral strictures."
"Legal strictures on environmental policy have intensified debates among stakeholders."
"There were strictures placed on the grant, limiting how funds could be allocated."
Pronunciation is /ˈstrɪk.tʃɚz/ in US English and /ˈstrɪk.tʃəz/ in UK/AU English. The primary stress is on the first syllable: STRIK-tures. Begin with /str/ as in string, then /ɪ/ as in bit, followed by /k/ then /tʃ/ as in church, and finish with /ɚ/ (US) or /ə/ (UK/AU) plus a final /z/.
Two common errors: (1) Pronouncing it as /ˈstrɪk.tɪəz/ or /ˈstrɪk.trəz/, slurring or misplacing the /tʃ/ into a simple /t/ or /d/ sound. (2) Misplacing the vowel in the second syllable, saying /ɪ/ as in sit without the proper /tʃ/ onset. Correction: ensure the /tʃ/ cluster is strong: /t͡ʃ/ after /k/ and avoid skipping the /t/; keep the stress on the first syllable and end with /z/.
US: /ˈstrɪk.tʃɚz/ with rhotacized final syllable /ɚ/. UK/AU: /ˈstrɪk.tʃəz/ with a non-rhotic vowel in some dialects and a schwa-like ending /ə/ before /z/. The main difference is the final vowel quality and rhoticity; US keeps a clearer /ɚ/; UK/AU often voiceless or reduced /ə/ before /z/. The middle /tʃ/ remains the same across accents.
Three challenges: (1) The /str/ cluster at onset with rapid transition into /ɪ/ before /k/, which can blur if you rush. (2) The /tʃ/ onset after /k/, a tricky American-English cluster: k + ɡh? No— /k/ followed by /tʃ/ can trip learners. (3) The final /ɚ/ or /ə/ plus /z/ makes the last syllable short and soft; clearing the vowel and voicing of /z/ matters. Focus on the sequence STRI- /k/ + /tʃ/ + -ez.
The word's defining characteristic is the two-consonant cluster end of the second syllable (/tʃ/ followed by /z/). You might hear /tʃəz/ in UK/AU pronunciations where the final vowel reduces before /z/. The strong initial stress on STRIK remains constant. Paying attention to the /tʃ/ onset after /k/ without inserting extra vowels is key.
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Stricture entered English from the medieval Latin strictura, from the Latin strictus meaning tight, drawn tight, or bound. The root is similar to stringere, to bind or compress. The term appeared in English in the 15th to 16th centuries in medical and legal contexts to denote a narrow part or constriction of a canal, vessel, or passage. Over time, its usage broadened to metaphorically describe rules or regulations that confine or restrain behavior. The word evolved through Latin into Old French as stricture, then into English with plural strictures. The medical sense—narrowing of a bodily passage—was established in the early modern period as anatomy and pathology developed. Today, strictures are discussed in gastroenterology, urology, and ENT, as well as in figurative phrases about societal constraints. The pronunciation evolved with English vowel shifts but retained the core -str- prefix from Latin strictus, while the -ture ending mirrors other Latin-derived clinical terms like texture and structure. First known uses in English citations appear in medical writings of the 17th–18th centuries, with later expansion to legal and metaphorical uses in the 19th and 20th centuries.
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Words that rhyme with "strictures"
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