auditory meatus
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈɔːdɪtɔri ˈmiːtəs/
- Specialized
:
meato auditivo
- Examination of the right external auditory meatus revealed that it was filled with a reddish polypoid mass.
- the external auditory meatus
Examples
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The doctor examined the patient's auditory meatus to check for any signs of infection.
-
Excessive earwax can block the auditory meatus and impair hearing.
-
From a pointed snout, a long row of teeth ran back to the hole of the auditory meatus, which served as an ear.
Fiction book (1990) -
Some patients who need hearing amplification have problems with a conventional hearing aid positioned in the external auditory meatus or cannot use it at all.
Academic text (1998) -
D: T1-weighted coronal MRI shows that the mass also involves the right external auditory meatus.
Academic text (2006) -
The vertical portion of the facial nerve is still anterior with respect to the external auditory meatus (not shown).
Academic text (2003) -
This canal appears to be a vulnerable area through which tumors may extend unobstructed into the internal auditory meatus and posterior cranial fossa.
Academic text (2007) -
The first branchial cleft becomes the external auditory meatus, and the first branchial pouch gives rise to the middle ear and eustachian tube.
Academic text (2006) -
Rhys Evans (1992) has documented that bony exostoses of the external auditory meatus develop in humans with prolonged exposure to swimming.
Academic text (1995) -
During the ear examination, the nurse noted inflammation in the auditory meatus.
Synonyms
3
3.4
A narrow tube in the outer ear that leads to the eardrum
1
4.9
A tube in the outer ear that leads to the eardrum
A short passage in the outer ear leading to the eardrum
A tube in the outer ear that leads to the eardrum
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward adjective + noun: 'auditory' (related to hearing) + 'meatus' (an anatomical passageway) yields 'a passageway for hearing', so the medical definition is directly derivable from the parts. This follows normal compositional English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the meaning, even though the term itself is technical and infrequent.
Etymology
The term auditory meatus names the small passage in the ear: auditory means 'hearing' and meatus means 'passage'. So it is the tube that carries sound from the outside to the eardrum, which is why a blockage there can affect 'hearing'.