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Glite Dictionary
carpal tunnel

carpal tunnel

11 3.5
A narrow passage on the palm side of the wrist that carries nerves and tendons
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːr.pəl ˈtʌn.əl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : túnel carpiano
  • Many office workers experience carpal tunnel from repetitive hand movements throughout their day.
  • carpal tunnel syndrome
  • carpal tunnel release
  • bilateral carpal tunnel

OK, I think I'm getting carpal tunnel on my wrist too.

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Examples

  • Symptoms of carpal tunnel can include numbness and tingling in the fingers.

  • I already have carpal tunnel in both hands.

    Goosebumps (2015)

  • My American wife had surgery for carpal tunnel a couple of years ago.

    Blog text (13)

  • Often they will strongly suspect you have carpal tunnel just based on your history.

  • OK, I think I'm getting carpal tunnel on my wrist too.

    Gus Johnson

  • Women may also be more prone to shoulder injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome than men.

    Academic text (2010)

  • These two fingers don't bend and I have carpal tunnel syndrome.

    Rich Roll

  • Ella Williams developed carpal tunnel syndrome while working at a Toyota plant in Kentucky.

    Academic text (2002)

  • I memorized the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, and ulnar tunnel syndrome.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • After spending hours typing at the computer, I started to feel pain in my wrist, which I later learned was due to carpal tunnel syndrome.

How Narrow

carpal tunnel
  • Specialized
11 3.5
duct
  • Specialized
145 4.1
tunnel
615 1.0
canal
90 2.0

Surface Forms

carpal tunnel singular
carpal tunnels plural

Morphology

carpal + tunnel

The term is a straightforward composition of 'carpal' (relating to the wrist) + 'tunnel' (a passage), so the meaning 'a passageway in the wrist for nerves/tendons' is directly derivable from the parts. Although medical, it follows ordinary noun-compound patterns and would be comprehensible to a B1 learner who already knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Carpal tunnel comes from a simple picture: a narrow tunnel in the wrist made by small bones and a tight band, and carpal means 'wrist'. When the nerve that runs through that tunnel is squeezed, it causes numbness and pain, so the name points to the place that makes these symptoms.