laryngitis
Americannoun
noun
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Etymology
Origin of laryngitis
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Explanation
If your throat is very sore and your voice is hoarse, you may have laryngitis. Laryngitis happens when the larynx gets red, painful, and swollen. Some people temporarily lose the ability to speak at all when they get laryngitis, while others can only talk in a hoarse whisper. Laryngitis has many different causes, some of which can be spread between people, like the flu, and others which can't, like allergies or simply talking too long or loudly. Laryngitis is a medical Latin term that combines larynx, "the upper windpipe" in Greek, and -itis, "inflammation."
Vocabulary lists containing laryngitis
The Bell Jar
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Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!
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The Moon Within
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Performed by Austrian siblings Abor & Tynna, it's languishing in the middle of the field, after Tynna developed laryngitis, robbing the duo of the chance to impress fans at Eurovision's various pre-parties.
From BBC • May 9, 2025
For what it’s worth, Washington died in 1799 of epiglottitus and acute laryngitis.
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2024
A doctor saw inflammation on her vocal cords; it could have been allergies, acid reflux, a hormonal imbalance or laryngitis, or some combination of those factors.
From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2023
Then, in a very on-the-nose type of irony, I got laryngitis.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023
"Hullo, Esther, what's the matter, have you got laryngitis?"
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
