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myringitis

myringitis

1 9.9
A swelling of the eardrum that often causes ear pain
  • noun
  • /ˌmɪrɪnˈdʒaɪtɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : miringitis
  • After being diagnosed with myringitis, he was given medication to help relieve the inflammation of his eardrum.

Examples

  • Prof. Hawke: How should we treat chronic granular myringitis that has completely covered the surface of the tympanic membrane?

    Academic text (2003)
  • The doctor explained that myringitis can cause severe pain in the ear and may require treatment.

  • For example, granular myringitis can progress to medial meatal fibrosis or what is often called a "false fundus."

    Academic text (2003)
  • She experienced discomfort in her ear due to a case of myringitis, which left her feeling very uneasy.

Synonyms

otitis
vsmyringitis
  • Specialized
3 7.9

Swelling or infection in the ear that causes pain

is specific to the eardrum rather than to the ear in general
tympanitis
vsmyringitis
  • Specialized
9.6

Swelling and pain of the eardrum or middle ear that can cause hearing loss

is narrower, focusing on the eardrum rather than the whole ear

How Severe

perforated eardrum
  • Specialized
6.3
myringitis
  • Specialized
1 9.9
earache
6 1.3

Surface Forms

myringitis singular
myringitides plural

Morphology

myringitis = myring + itis

Within medical terminology the word is regularly formed as 'myring-' + '-itis', but most learners will only recognize the inflammation meaning from the suffix and not the specific reference to the eardrum.

Etymology

The word myringitis comes from the Greek root myring meaning 'eardrum' and the ending -itis meaning 'inflammation'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of 'my ring' near the ear, so myringitis is when the eardrum is inflamed and often causes ear pain.