Eustachian tube

[ yoo-stey-shuhn, -stey-kee-uhn ]

nounAnatomy.
  1. a canal extending from the middle ear to the pharynx; auditory canal.

Origin of Eustachian tube

1
1735–45; named after Eustachio; see -an

Words Nearby Eustachian tube

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Eustachian tube in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Eustachian tube

Eustachian tube

/ (juːˈsteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. a tube that connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx and equalizes the pressure between the two sides of the eardrum

Origin of Eustachian tube

1
C18: named after Bartolomeo Eustachio, 16th-century Italian anatomist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for eustachian tube

eustachian tube

[ yōō-stāshən ]


  1. A slender tube that connects the middle ear with the upper part of the pharynx, serving to equalize air pressure on either side of the eardrum.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Eustachian tube

Eustachian tube

[ (yooh-stay-shuhn, yooh-stay-kee-uhn) ]


A tube made up of bone and cartilage that connects the middle ear to the back of the mouth.

Notes for Eustachian tube

Swallowing during airplane takeoffs and landings allows air to move through the Eustachian tube to equalize pressure across the eardrum, causing the ears to “pop.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.