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Eustachian tube

[yoo-stey-shuh n, -stey-kee-uh n]
noun Anatomy.
  1. a canal extending from the middle ear to the pharynx; auditory canal.
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Origin of Eustachian tube

1735–45; named after Eustachio; see -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for eustachian tube

Eustachian tube

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

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

Word Origin and History for eustachian tube

Eustachian tube

n.

so called for Italian physician Bartolomeo Eustachio (d.1574), who discovered the passages from the ears to the throat. His name is from Latin Eustachius (see Eustace).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
eustachian tube in Medicine

eustachian tube

n.
  1. A slender tube that connects the tympanic cavity with the nasal part of the pharynx and serves to equalize air pressure on either side of the eardrum.auditory tube salpinx
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
eustachian tube in Science

eustachian tube

[yōō-stā′shən]
  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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
eustachian tube in Culture

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.

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Note

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.