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meatus

[mee-ey-tuh s]
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noun, plural me·a·tus·es, me·a·tus. Anatomy.
  1. an opening or foramen, especially in a bone or bony structure, as the opening of the ear or nose.
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Origin of meatus

1655–65; < Latin meātus course, channel, equivalent to meā(re) to go, extend, have a course + -tus suffix of v. action
Related formsme·a·tal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for meatal

Historical Examples

  • Under good illumination, the largest possible speculum is inserted into the meatal orifice.

    A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for meatal

meatus

noun plural -tuses or -tus
  1. anatomy a natural opening or channel, such as the canal leading from the outer ear to the eardrum
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin: passage, from meāre to pass
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
meatal in Medicine

meatal

(mē-āt′l)
adj.
  1. Relating to a meatus.
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meatus

(mē-ā′təs)
n. pl. me•a•tus•es
  1. A body opening or passage, especially the external opening of a canal.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.