rhonchus
9.9
A whistling or snoring sound heard when someone breathes through partly blocked airways
- noun
- /ˈrɒŋkəs/
- Specialized
:
roncus
- With the stethoscope pressed to her chest, the nurse detected a rhonchus during the examination.
Examples
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The hissing rhonchus heard from the patient suggested they needed immediate treatment.
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They will be wheezing, they'll be rhonchi, they'll be crackles, they'll be squeaks and squeals and all these weird different sounds.
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The doctor noted that the patient had a rhonchus indicating a blockage in the airways.
Synonyms
5
9.9
A soft rattling sound in the lungs when a person breathes
is a whistling or snoring airway sound caused by obstruction
How Noisy
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word rhonchus comes from an old Greek word rhonkhē meaning 'snore' or 'snoring sound'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of the soft 'snore' you hear in sleep, because a rhonchus is that whistling or snoring noise heard in the airways when breathing.