deviated nasal septum
- noun
- /ˈdiːvieɪtɪd ˈneɪzl ˈsɛptəm/
- Specialized
:
tabique nasal desviado
- The initial examination revealed the presence of a deviated nasal septum to the left.
Examples
-
Anterior rhinoscopy detected an anteriorly deviated nasal septum with a spur to the right; no mass was seen.
Academic text (2006) -
The doctor diagnosed him with a deviated nasal septum, which explained his breathing difficulties.
-
A deviated nasal septum is common in children with unilateral CL, and often results after surgical intervention (6).
Academic text (2015) -
After the accident, she discovered that her deviated nasal septum was causing her ongoing sinus problems.
-
He struggled to sleep at night due to his deviated nasal septum, which made breathing more difficult.
Synonyms
7
6.6
The thin wall inside the nose leans to one side and makes breathing difficult
How Severe
- Specialized
2
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'deviated' (moved away or displaced), 'nasal' (relating to the nose) and 'septum' (a partition) together yield the straightforward idea of the nasal partition being displaced from the center. Although medical in register, the meaning follows normal adjective+noun structure and is directly derivable from the constituents, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would grasp it.
Etymology
Deviated nasal septum is a literal description: the septum is the thin wall between the two nostrils, and when it is deviated it leans to one side. This makes one nostril smaller, which explains the 'obstruction' and 'difficulty in breathing' it causes.