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Glite Dictionary
spasmodic laryngitis

spasmodic laryngitis

9.6
A disease in young children that causes sudden barking cough, hoarse voice, fever and trouble breathing
  • noun
  • /spæzˈmɒdɪk ləˈrɪndʒɪtɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : laringitis espasmódica
  • The child was rushed to the hospital after a severe episode of spasmodic laryngitis caused breathing difficulties.

Examples

  • Doctors diagnosed him with spasmodic laryngitis when he developed a harsh, barking cough during the night.

  • Many infants suffer from spasmodic laryngitis during winter.

  • Tim's parents were worried when his spasmodic laryngitis symptoms worsened suddenly in the early morning.

  • The doctor diagnosed him with spasmodic laryngitis.

  • The child was rushed to the hospital after a severe episode of spasmodic laryngitis caused breathing difficulties.

  • Doctors diagnosed him with spasmodic laryngitis when he developed a harsh, barking cough during the night.

  • Tim's parents were worried when his spasmodic laryngitis symptoms worsened suddenly in the early morning.

Synonyms

laryngitis
vsspasmodic laryngitis
  • Specialized
11 6.1

Swelling of the voice box that makes your voice hoarse and can make you lose your voice

is a childhood illness marked by sudden severe coughing and breathing difficulty
croup
vsspasmodic laryngitis
  • Specialized
4 7.9

An illness of infants and young children that causes a loud barking cough and noisy breathing

focuses on sudden sharp attacks of coughing and breathing difficulty in young children

Surface Forms

spasmodic laryngitis singular
spasmodic laryngitises plural

Morphology

spasmodic + laryngitis

The term is a straightforward medical compound: 'spasmodic' (characterized by sudden, irregular attacks) modifies 'laryngitis' (inflammation of the larynx). A B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes laryngitis with sudden coughing/hoarseness attacks, and this compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically.

Etymology

Spasmodic laryngitis comes from two parts: spasmodic, meaning sudden tightening, and laryngitis, meaning swelling of the 'voice box'. So the name paints a picture of the 'voice box' suddenly tightening and making a harsh, barking cough and trouble breathing, which is why it describes those sudden coughing attacks in young children.