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The act of expanding by pressure from within
Answer for the clue "The act of expanding by pressure from within ", 10 letters:
distention
Word definitions for distention in dictionaries
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Distention \Dis*ten"tion\, n. [L. distentio: cf. F. distension.] The act of distending; the act of stretching in breadth or in all directions; the state of being Distended; as, the distention of the lungs. Breadth; extent or space occupied by the thing ...
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
also distension , early 15c., from Middle French distension and directly from Latin distensionem (nominative distensio , distentio ), noun of action from past participle stem of distendere (see distend ).
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. the state of being stretched beyond normal dimensions [syn: dilatation , distension ] the act of expanding by pressure from within [syn: distension ]
Wiktionary
Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. The act of distending.
Usage examples of distention.
Quoted by Ashhurst, Hunter recorded a case of gunshot wound, in which, after penetrating the stomach, bowels, and diaphragm the ball lodged in the thoracic cavity, causing no difficulty in breathing until shortly before death, and even then the dyspnea was mechanical--from gaseous distention of the intestines.
The unnatural distention of the stomach with food causes it to press upon the neighboring organs, interfering with the proper performance of their functions, and, if frequently repeated, gives rise to serious disease.