dysphonia

[dis-foh-nee-uh]

noun

1. any disturbance of normal vocal function.

dysphonia

/ dɪsˈfɒnɪk, dɪsˈfəʊnɪə /

noun

1. any impairment in the ability to speak normally, as from spasm or strain of the vocal cords

Other Word Forms

• dysphonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dysphonia¹

1700–10; < New Latin < Greek dysphōnía roughness of sound, equivalent to dys- dys- + phōn ( ḗ ) sound, voice + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of dysphonia¹

C18: New Latin, from Greek: harshness of sound, from _dys- + -phōnia _-phony

Example Sentences

Laryngeal dystonia, known previously as spasmodic dysphonia, is a rare condition that affects over 50,000 people in the US and Canada.

From Science Daily

Consultations with doctors eventually brought a brutal diagnosis: spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder in which the muscles in the larynx tighten or lapse into spasms, strangulating speech while making singing a significant challenge.

From New York Times

He also has a noticeably strained, raspy voice caused by spasmodic dysphonia, a disorder that causes involuntary spasms in the muscles of the voice box.

From BBC

‘If I could sound better, I would,’ says the presidential candidate, who has spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological condition that affects his vocal cords.

From Los Angeles Times

Spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition, in which an abnormality in the brain’s neural network results in involuntary spasms of the muscles that open or close the vocal cords.

From Los Angeles Times