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laryngitis

laryngitis

11 6.1
Swelling of the voice box that makes your voice hoarse and can make you lose your voice
  • noun
  • /ˌlɛrɪnˈdʒaɪtɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : laringitis
  • The doctor diagnosed him with laryngitis, explaining that it would take time for his voice to recover.
  • get laryngitis
  • case of laryngitis
  • severe laryngitis

Examples

  • It's Billy, he's just really tired and he has laryngitis.

  • I've been dealing with laryngitis since June.

  • My laryngitis is killing me.

  • - They said she had laryngitis.

  • You know, actually, Dad has laryngitis and he shouldn't be talking at all.

  • You'll wind up with laryngitis.

  • The Committee cannot convene for several days... ...because Senator McCarthy has a slight case of laryngitis.

  • When she lost her voice again, it was on their first anniversary of living together, and Art joked that her laryngitis must be psychosomatic.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Ladies and gentlemen, as many of you have noticed... our star, Miss Trixie Farrell... has been acting her part under great difficulties... owing to an attack of laryngitis.

  • Jethro Tull was booked, but didn't play because Ian Anderson got laryngitis.

    Blog text (1)

Compounds

spasmodic laryngitis
  • Specialized
9.6

A disease in young children that causes sudden barking cough, hoarse voice, fever and trouble breathing

Surface Forms

laryngitis singular
laryngitides plural

Morphology

laryngitis = larynx (semi-transparent) = laryng + itis

Formed from 'larynx' (via the combining form 'laryng-') plus the medical suffix '-itis' meaning inflammation; the structure is regular but relies on medical morphology that not all learners know.

Etymology

The word laryngitis comes from the Greek word larynx meaning 'voice box' and the medical ending -itis meaning 'inflammation', the same ending you see in tonsillitis. So laryngitis is an inflammation of the voice box, which is why it makes your voice hoarse or can make you lose your voice.