obturator

From Latin obtūrō (“to stop, block up”).

obturator (plural obturators)

1. (surgery) An object used to obstruct a hole, such as a fissure of the palate.
2. (anatomy) The membrane vessels, etc. that close the obturator foramen, or thyroid foramen, a large opening or fenestra in the anterior part of the hip bone.
3. (engineering) A valve closure member (disk, gate, plug, etc.).
   • 1952 December, 'Mercury', “Modern French Locomotive Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 803:

     Obturators, held down by compressed air, close the pipe giving direct access from the h.p. exhaust to the l.p. steam chest, and so prevent compound working; […] .

4. (firearms) Any device for preventing the escape of gas through the breech mechanism of a breech-loading gun; a gas check.
5. (photography) A camera shutter.

• For the engineering sense: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) OM Code.

obtūrātor

1. second/third-person singular future passive imperative of obtūrō

Borrowed from French obturateur.

obturator n (plural obturatoare)

1. (photography) shutter